Always by your Side
by Madamam
Summary: The beautiful and kind Rose was a carefree teenager when she befriended the troubled and angry Scorpius Malfoy. He had his guards up but she managed to break his walls and he began to feel for her an emotion he never felt before. But Rose had no idea how dark Scorpius's world is and all she knows is that he needs her and she has to love him no matter how much it drains her
1. The Name's Rose aka Narrow Minded Girl

I'm sorry if this sounds a bit horrible and demented but sometimes I really wish I could strangle my mother. She's mental I tell you, completely mental. It's only the second day since we've been out of Hogwarts and she thinks I'm wasting my summer. My mum thinks that I should know my 6th year textbooks inside out so I'll be prepared for September. Last summer, she purchased my 5th year textbooks before the school year had ended and started preparing me 12 months early for my OWLs. Isn't that insane! Okay maybe if I was a lazy wanker, I'd understand, but I have never gotten a mark below and Exceeds Expectation before. But mum thinks it's a good idea to do something useful with my free time. I just completed my OWLs and I really want to relax. I'm dreading going down for breakfast but I reluctantly get up anyway and go downstairs.

"Morning, Dad, Mum" I nod at her, hoping that young lady will see how disappointed I am with her behavior.

"Good Morning" dad says without glancing away from his morning paper.

"Had a good sleep, dear?" Mum asks as she takes a sip of her coffee and flips the page of Witch Weekly.

Oh yes, wonderful sleep, I kept dreaming about my charms textbook trying to eat me.

"I guess" I mumble unenthusiastically and take a seat next to dad who's so absorbed in the Daily Prophet.

"Rose, is your brother up yet?" Mum asks.

"How am I supposed to know", I reply lazily. I think mum could sense the lack of enthusiasm in my voice, because she just stared at me for a minute as if trying to figure me out. Ha! Like she'll ever understand me!

"Oh by the way", she turns to dad, "your mother called, Ron, she invited us to spend the day at the burrow tomorrow. She said everyone's coming", mum finished telling us.

"I don't want to go", I inform my parents before they get the chance to tell me I have to go.

"Rose!" Mum seems upset but I don't care. "You don't have a choice, we're all going".

"Except me, I don't want to go, I'm busy today", I reply in a cold tone and fold my arms. I really can't blame myself; she was the one who started it.

"Rose! What could you possibly have to do that's more important than your own family?" Dad asked. Nice to hear your voice too dad.

"Weren't you the one who told me I should do something with my summer, weren't you the one who said I shouldn't waste my time, mother?" I remind her. Mum screws up her face as she tries to remember.

"Oh that!" Eureka! Einstein has just remembered, "Oh Rose, I wasn't talking about schoolwork. What did you think? I was talking about schoolwork? Darling do you really think I'm that mean that I'm going to make you study right after you've finished your OWLs?"

Um let me see…Yes!

"Than what were you talking about when you said I should—" Dad has put his paper down too and was interested to hear what mum had up her sleeve.

"I was thinking you could do some community service sort of work dear".

Come again? Community service? If she's asking me to run a summer camp or something, I'll probably end up jinxing all those little kids. I have no patience for children who throw water balloons or do any sort of rubbish like that. I'll probably end up in Azkaban and never get a job at the ministry if I have to volunteer for these things.

"Mum, I don't think—"

"Rose, I really think it's a good idea. I've been looking through the paper and I know the perfect place for you—".

"Mum, I don't think it's a good idea for me to be helping out with kids, I don't have the patience for that", I tried to convince her.

"Rose! Stop interrupting your mother! Just here what she has to say", Dad exclaimed impatiently.

"Okay! I'm sorry!"

"Like I was saying, I have found this help centre for teens your age going through rough patches in their life. I think you can help them, it'll e good for you because it'll broaden your mind to different people".

She wants me to work at a rehab centre?

"I don't know, Mum, I don't think I'll be good with that sort of stuff", and I'm not lying, I'm not good with slightly deranged people.

"Think about it, Sweetheart, you can possibly make someone's life better", Mum tried to convince me but I was even more horrified t hat thought.

What if I don't change someone's life for the better? What if I put them in an even worse position? I'm not exactly your best advice columnist or something.

"Mum I don't think it's the best idea…" I began to say.

"But it could be really good, opening your mind to different people", Mum insisted.

"I don't think so…"

"But, Rose, it's really advantageous if you want to get a job in the ministry", Mum really isn't going to let go of this!

"But Mum—" I began to say but Dad cut me off.

"Why can't you two argue somewhere else, I'm trying to have a peaceful morning here! Hermione why don't you give her some time to think about this? And, Rose, even though it is your decision, I agree with your mother that this will be good for you, so please consider this seriously", I nodded in agreement and with that, dear daddy got up and left to probably yell at Hugo to wake up. Mum got up shortly after him and left to her room.

Usually, dad takes my side when Mum's making me do something "beneficial for my future", but this time, he's betrayed me and he's taking mother's side. I cannot lose my daddy to another woman! She probably brainwashed him and told him how this is the best for me.

I'm about to take a bight of my toast when I realize that I couldn't completely disagree with them. I have always been sort of a narrow minded and judgmental girl, maybe this could be good for me, but I really needed time to think about this, I mean I don't want to further screw up the life of some kid with an already screwed up life. That wouldn't be very pleasant now would it? But I really want to secure a place at the ministry for myself. There's only two years left till I graduate, and If I don't get an internship at the ministry, I'll bring shame to the family, and mum and dad won't be able to show their face in public and we'll all have to move to America and I'll be unemployed and get caught up in drugs and get pregnant and mum and dad will have to disown me and… I really need to think about this community service thing.


	2. PMSing on a Hot Summer Day

Today probably has to be the hottest day of the summer and I'm on the verge of death. I honestly should call the cemetery and reserve a grave for myself. Rose Weasley, beloved daughter and sister, died of sweating…that just sounds lovely.

Dad had opened all the windows of the house and cast a charm on the nets so if any breeze comes in the house, its cold. Apparently, he isn't as smart as he thinks. Since my parents never bothered to get a muggle air conditioning system, I threatened to go to Uncle Harry's house and stay there for the whole summer if they don't get one now. Call me a bitch but this is how you deal with difficult parents. So Mum called the AC guys and they'll be here in an hour or so. Finally, I'll be able to breathe.

I go upstairs to my room and change into a pair of short shorts and a loose, flowing tank top that's a little longer than my shorts…or maybe my shorts are too short, but I know my clothes will annoy Mum since they are 'improper and not proportionate'.

I go back to the family room and lounge on the sofa just dreading the fact that all the Weasleys plus aunt Ginny's family will be stuffed in the burrow tonight. Now I really don't want to go. Since it's too hot to do anything I decide to just continue to lounge on the sofa nearest to the big window. The community guide book on the coffee table caught my attention so I flipped to the marked page to see what Mum was interested in earlier at breakfast. Just as I'm about the read, the stupid doorbell rings.

"Doorbell's ringing!" I holler to my family. No one must have answered the door because after a couple seconds, it rings again, "Hugo, can you get that!"I still get no answer and I'm getting really annoyed because whoever is out there rang the stupid doorbell for the third time, "MUM! DAD! SOMEONE'S AT THE DOOR!" I yell. Finally, I get up because I basically have to do everything around here because my bloody family is too bloody lazy to do anything. Either they disappeared or they're just ignoring me. I'm thinking the latter.

I head towards the door and just as I'm about to unlock the door lock, Mum comes running like there's no tomorrow and grabs the door knob pushing me aside.

Rude much?

"Rose for heaven's sake please put on something better, Dear, your breasts are visible to the neighbors!" she exclaims as she looks at my clothes.

Thanks for checking out my boobs, Mum. You really know how to make people comfortable. Honestly! She could have said she doesn't like my super low neckline or something, and it's not even low…okay maybe it is but I am wearing a bandeau underneath so whatever. Sometimes I wonder how my Nana put up with such a picky person. Mum must have been a really difficult child.

So I ignore what she says and lie back down on the sofa with my legs crossed and lounge some more. I hear Mum talking to two males, must be the AC guys, bless them. I go back to the community service guide book and look at what Mum has circled on the page. I guessed it would be the teen help centre and my guess is correct. Woohoo! 10 points for me! **Support Centre for the Struggling Youth**. What a creative name. '_If you or someone you know is facing physical, verbal, or sexual abuse, an eating disorder, substance abuse, a behavior disorder, bullying, depression, loss of a loved one, negligence or just feel excluded and unheard, contact us straight away. SCSU will always make you or your friend in need feel comfortable and we will help you get through this rough patch. With our expert team, we will make sure you walk out of our centre feeling like a new person. With pressure increasing, the problems that our—'_

"So I'll just take you to our basement and we can see what will work best", I heard Mum talking to the two men.

"Of course", one of the men said.

I look up to see Mum leading two men towards the basement. One's old, like Mum and Dad's age, and the other is young, probably early to mid-twenties. They walk past me and towards the door to the basement but I see the younger one look over his shoulder at me and smirk.

Ew.

I'm gagging because that's just gross and this dude is uglyyyy! I make a bitchy face at him he turns away to follow my Mum and, I'm guessing his boss, down to the basement to look at some electrical wiring. do live in a house previously owned by a muggle, and in a muggle area. The reason for that is, my elderly maternal grandparents live around here and Mum wants to live near them because we're the only family they have.

I finally get back to the guide book and read the rest of the paragraph

'—_the problems that our youth is facing today cannot be ignored. We urge you to contact us straight away and we promise that yours or your friend's voice will surely be heard and you/they will get the help and attention you/they need and deserve'_

Those poor people, I kind of feel bad for those who don't get the help they need at home. If I was suffering from any of those issues, my whole entire family and I mean all the Weasleys, plus Potters, my Nana and Granddad Granger, Granny and Granddad Weasley, and all my friends would be there for support and make sure nothing happens to me. But these kids have to go to support centres. These are the types of things that make me want to ignore the problems that are going on because I can't bear to see people suffer. Plus, I feel guilty because I've got everything while some people don't even have a stable home or enough to eat. Some girls in Africa don't even get to go to school while I go to a school with my brand new books and brand new robes and brand new supplies every year. And all those boys in Africa who are forced to be child soldiers, they don't even get food and they're out there risking their lives. And those women and children that are abused by stupid men who think they are more powerful…Suddenly, I start crying thinking about all the sad problems in the world. I sob some more as I add sick babies, raped girls, natural disasters and lack of indoor plumbing to my list. As I cried, I didn't realize Dad and Hugo had appeared at the door of the family room and they were staring at me like I just grew a dick.

"R-Rose, baby, is there a reason why—" Dad nervously asked. He assumed it was one of those emotional moments/mood swings Mum had told him I would occasionally get. I shake my head and deny.

"Is it your time of the mo—", Hugo began to ask. Why is my little brother asking me this? How did he know…

"NO! Oh Gosh, Hugo! You're so stupid!" I spat and I cried. Hugo just looked scared. Wait! Where did my Dad and brother come from anywhere? They had disappeared this morning… Mum had apparently heard the noise because I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Why is everyone yelling? We have people in our house!" she scolded us in a hushed tone. Finally she sees me and sighs, "Rose, what's wrong now?"

Um, excuse me? What's wrong _now_? What's that supposed to mean?

"Mum, there is so much sadness in the world! Children are dying of hunger, women are being abused, people are suffering from eating disorders and what not", I let them know.

"Well, I'm going to attend to the workers downstairs. Ron please deal with this", she sighed showing annoyance.

I can't believe her. All she has to say is 'Ron, please deal with this'? She won't even offer any words of comfort. I think I'm more important than her stupid air conditioning!

Dad just did what he was told, "Rose, I'm sorry that there is so much sorrow in this world but—"

"Maybe if you stop eating so much food, there will be some left over for the people of Africa", Hugo sniggered.

I can't believe he just said that! I eat a lot?

"HUGO!" Dad yelled as he saw more tears gather up in my eyes, "get out of here!"

"Daddy do you think I eat a lot?" I asked.

"No, darling, don't listen to him! He's just bothering you", Dad tried to assure me. He put an arm around me and pulled me into a comforting hug and I stopped crying.

"But, Dad, I've recently noticed my body's a little different", realizing how that would sound, I quickly added, "I mean, I think I'm gaining weight…" I had actually noticed that. During my OWL's, all I did was study, eat, sleep, and poop.

"No sweetheart, I assure you, you are in good shape. And you're keeping up with quidditch, which is good exercise, and good for your health and body", Dad finished and kissed me on top of my head. I got a warm and fuzzy feeling inside until Hugo had to go and spoil it.

"So now that we're talking about bodies, every time I see some lady parts, I get this weird, tingly feeling in my—"

"HUGO! Stop being an idiot and go to your room!" Dad yelled and threw the couch cushion at him.

Oh my gosh! Dad just verbally and physically abused Hugo!

"Dad, if Hugo ever has to go to a teen help centre, it'll be your fault! You abuse him, physically and verbally!" I cry, I can't believe how insane and crazy my family is.

"Baby, I'd hardly call that abuse, it's Hugo". Noticing the look on my face, he added quickly, "but if you don't think it's appropriate, then I won't do it anymore".

I just love my Daddy; he always tells me what I want to hear. Dad pulls me into another bear hug and I rest my head on his shoulder.

"Dad?" I softly say after thorough thinking.

"Yes, Rosie?" He replies while maintaining the hug.

"I-I think I'll do the struggling teens counseling volunteering thing", I had made up my mind.

"Rosie, I'm really proud of you. I think this will be good for you to develop patience. And it'll also help whoever you're helping", Dad seemed pleased with my decision but who's he calling impatient? I decide to let it go and not argue.

"Yeah, I think so too…"


	3. The Thoughtful Expressions of Al Potter

After the old and the ugly AC guys left, Dad and I told Mum about my decision. She is pleased of course since things are going her way.

She pulled me into a hug, "Rose, I think you've made an excellent choice".

Mother, you're idea has to be an excellent choice.

"I know you feel like its useless now, but trust me, dear, you'll thank me one day", she said assuring me.

Oh Mother, of course I trust you.

"Okay, everyone let's get dressed now because we have to go to the burrow. Everyone has an hour", Dad added.

I got up to go to my room to get dressed but I swear as I left I heard Mum say, "I'm impressed, Ron, what did you say to her?"

"_Love, is dancing on my finger, he got to the heart of the matter and lingered…"_

I found myself in a very jolly mood as I sang one of my favorite songs, while I showered and got dressed. I decided to wear a mid-thigh length, white, halter, v-neck sundress and put my hair in a messy bun, since I cannot leave it down in this weather. None the less I look sexy.

What? If I'm hot, then I'm hot. It's not my fault; I'm just keeping a positive attitude. I smile to myself. I really have to give myself more credit, sometimes I make myself laugh. I go over to my mirror to put on some light makeup, while thinking whether my cousin's hot friend will be there like last time.

"Rosie! Hugo! Hurry up! We're going to be late!" Dad yelled.

"I'm on my way!" Hugo called running down the stairs. Or more like jumping down the stairs. The boy's a monkey, I tell you, the way he skips so many steps every time…Huh! I always knew he's adopted.

"Hermione! Come on! Rose! Gosh you women have to take so long to get ready!" Dad yelled again.

"I'm right here, Ronald", Mum said calmly, "where's, Rose?"

I heard them call out my name, but I wasn't done with my makeup, "I'm not coming until my left lashes are equally long as my right lashes", I called and tried to hurry my mascara application. Once I was satisfied I grabbed my grey and white wedges and tied the strands around my ankles while Dad closed all the windows so no one could see us apparate. I grabbed Mum's hand and Hugo grabbed Dad's, and we apparated onto the front porch of the burrow. Dad rang the doorbell and Granny opened the door.

"Hugo! Rosie" She cried as she gave us both kisses on our head. I cringed.

I don't like big kisses from all the relatives. Sometimes they smell funny. Like today, Granny smelled like fried foods. 10 galleons its fried chicken.

"Ron! Hermione! How nice to see you both! How have you lot been doing lately?" Granny asked.

"We've been doing great, how's your leg? Ron told me your arthritis is getting worse lately", Mum asked.

I think she's genuinely concerned.

I push through the crowd and say hello to all my annoying aunts and uncles as I try to keep a smile on my face. I look for my cousin, Albus. Albus and I are the same age, and probably best friends. I know he's my best mate. He and I grew up together and we're really close. People call us Little Harry and Little Hermione. I always used to think it was the way we looked since Al is an exact copy of Uncle Harry, but I never looked like my mum. I discovered it's because my Mum and Uncle Harry are very close as well. I think Mum's closer to Uncle Harry than my Dad, and I think it's the same way with the Potters. So it's definitely not because I look like my Mum, which I am thankful for since I won't be caught dead in that bushy mane of hers.

Of course I have the flaming red, Weasley hair but mine's a darker auburn than the Weasleys since my mum has brown hair. My cousin Lily's the same too, her's is super dark and curly, but very gorgeous. Aunt Ginny said it's just like Uncle Harry's Mum's. I on the other hand have really wavy, but soft and tamed hair, unlike Mother. Also, my eyes are blue/gray, like Granddad Granger's and Uncle Bill's. I actually love my eyes, because Dominique hates the fact that I have blue eyes she has brown eyes while her whole family has blue eyes. Just then I hear my name, "Rose!" I have a feeling I know who that is!

"Al! My Slytherin buddy!" I pounce on him, pulling him into the biggest hug.

"Rose! Gosh I've missed you so much!" Al said, he looks down at me, "Gosh, Rose you haven't been visiting Nana lately, you look thin".

Interesting…I thought I was eating too much. I must remember to flush Hugo's Firebolt 3000 down the toilet when I get home.

"How have your holidays been so far?"

"Horrible! Mum's made me clean out my whole room; you won't believe some of the junk I found in the back of my closet. I found your old sneakers by the way", He said as we go and take a seat on the couch.

"Are they pink and yellow?" I asked excitedly.

"Yup".

"Oh gosh, I cried myself to sleep for a month when I lost them!" I laughed as I remembered back to when I was 12 years old.

Me and Albus talk about everything from ex's to quidditch. Just then I hear another voice call out my name.

"Rose!" Aunt Ginny calls as she walks to where Al and I are sitting.

"Aunt Ginny! How have you been? Oh Merlin, you look good!"

"Thanks! Harry and I have missed you and Hugo so much! You haven't come by yet. We have tons to talk about!"

Aunt Ginny is the coolest person ever. She understands all my problems, she always has good advice and she's so up to date. Plus, at 40 she looks like she just turned 30 since she used to play for the Harpies which kept her fit and glowing. She's probably my favorite aunt out of all my aunts. And I have a many.

"Rose, it's great to see you", Uncle Harry came over and pulled me into a hug. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny are mine and Hugo's godparents and my parents are the same to their three kids, so I'm very close to the Potters. Plus they're not annoying like the rest of my family.

After Albus's parents leave. We're finally able to talk.

"So my mom wants me to volunteer at the Support Centre for Struggling Youth. It's this place for teens that are facing issues in their life and stuff like that?"

"Oh really…" Albus said looking thoughtful. He's probably thinking the same thing as my mother.

"I actually didn't want to do it at first", I tell him.

"And why's that?"

"I don't think I'm the type of person who's good at helping others you know, giving advice and stuff like that", I explained.

"Sure you are, Lily's always asking you for advice", Albus reminded me.

"Yes but that's different. I can give good advice about fashion, boys, schoolwork and stuff like that but leading someone to make the right choices about life takes a lot of experience, Al".

"I know you can do it, Rosie, sometimes, you're a total sarcastic, little bitch who just goes with the easy way out even though you know it's stupid but other times your this intelligent and confident person who can do anything she puts her mind too. I know you, Rose, even though you don't like to show, you're very caring and loving and sympathetic and sensitive—"

"Oh Al! Your're a sweetheart!" I hugged him again. Wow, I guess I am a softy, "Mum and I are gonna go register and attend the orientation workshop. Come with me?"

"Um…I don't know. I'll…I'll see…" Albus replied a little uneasy for some reason.

"Rose!" I hear another voice call out my name. I turn around to see who it is. It's my cousin James and his uber cute friend, Eric.

"H-hi", I stammer. I've had a little bit of a crush on Eric since last summer when he, Al, James and I hung out at Godric's Hollow almost every day.

"Hi Al, Hi Rose", Eric greets us with his charming smile.

"How have you been", Al asks with a casual and relaxed tone that I am coveting right now because I am totally tongue tied. This is not normal for me because I usually just say what's on my mind.

"So, Rose, you up for a little quidditch tomorrow at our place?" James asks me, while I just dreamily stare into open space and think about how Eric's soft Eric's hair must be.

"Uh, Rose?" James snaps a finger in front of me while Eric looks confused and Al smirks like he knows what I'm thinking. He probably does know what I'm thinking.

"Yeah, yeah, of course, what time?" I ask.

"Just come whenever you want, Rose, it's not like you have to make an appointment to see us", James says.

"I'll-I'll come around, uh, noon", I say.

"Um, Rose, aren't you forgetting something?" Al points out.

"What?" I say in an annoyed tone.

"SCSU", he tries to remind me.

"SCSU?"

"SCSU" Al nods.

"Oh! SCSU!" I suddenly remember the stupid volunteer thing. What the hell! This is so unfair! I want to hang out with super cute Eric but I have to do the dumb volunteer thing. I hate my life! After Eric and James leave. Albus and I take a seat at the magically enlarged picnic table in the back garden. During our meal, Al leans over and whispers in my ear, "I'll come with you".


	4. Support Centre for the Struggling Youth

The next day, I get up around 11:00am and change into a pair of dark denim capris and a white flowing tank top. I don't forget to apply some make up and grab my super hip new shades. Mum thinks I'm going through a phase where I can't even take out the garbage without dressing myself up. I have a slice of toast in front of the TV as I wait for Albus.

James apparates Albus to our house, since Al is still 16, like me, and he's 17. These two brothers are so friggin dumb; they were punching each other during apparation. Like who does that? It's dangerous. And Al unfortunately leaves a finger behind so mum has to take him back to Godric's Hollow and after getting his finger, he sidealong's with mum back to our place. She scold's James and him and tells them to stop fooling around during apparation. Then she retells her stupid story about how dad once left half an eyebrow behind. Then finally, after lots of begging from James, Mum promises not to tell Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny that James and Al were fighting during apparation and Al left a finger behind. James then apparated back to the Potter's place and Mum, Al and I are finally sitting in the car ready to go to the Support Centre.

"Just remember, Rose, don't close doors for yourself. Don't assume things about yourself. You're still young and it takes a lot of experience to know even yourself and learn what you are capable of", Mum gives me one of her try-new-things pep talks.

"Yes mother", I sigh. You can't blame me for getting annoyed; she's been a repeat telecast since last night.

"Rose, you still have to discover your strengths and weaknesses, so don't already assume that this is a weakness".

"I'll remember that, Mum…" I say as I look out the window at a group of teenage muggle boys and girls just hanging out at the park. I see two little girls and a man; I'm guessing their father, buying ice cream form an ice cream truck. I sigh again just thinking about how much fun everyone's gonna have during the summer while I have to be 'responsible'. I hate being responsible

"Rose, maybe this could turn out to be fun. Maybe you'll even make a new friend. There are probably loads of other volunteers for you to connect with as well. And it'll be nice to have a couple muggle friends", Mum says as if she's reading my mind. Actually, she probably is reading my mind since she's an expert legilimens.

"Maybe…" I respond unenthusiastically.

"And you'll never know until you try, Rose. Just remember, always keep a positive attitude".

"Yes, Mum", now please shut your face! If she is an expert legilimens, then she better have read this thought.

I turn my head back to see what Albus, who's sitting in the back seat, is doing. Now I really wonder what he's thinking about as he just looks out the window with the same thoughtful face from last night. Mum thankfully stops talking. Thank Merlin! The rest of the car ride is quiet. I think Mum did read my mind!

We finally reach the centre. It's really a very nice and modern looking building. We go inside and there is a nice decent sized foyer with a reception desk in the middle. Mum marches up to the lady and Albus and I lag behind on purpose.

"Hello!" The lady says in a cheerful, but probably fake, expression. She's got shoulder length blond, and curly hair, and very long hot pink nails. She seems nice enough though, but nice people can be annoying.

"Good afternoon, we're here to see Alice Tandra", Mum says. I'm assuming this Tandra lady's the director of this place or the boss or something.

"Do you have an appointment, Ma'am?" The lady asks in her sugary voice.

"As a matter of fact we do. It's for 2:00pm for Rose Weasley", Mum informs her. 'Barbie doll' checks a calendar on her computer and once she finds my name, she leads us to a room which I am guessing is the office of Alice Tandra.

The blond lady knocks on the door and peeks her head when she opens it slightly, "Rose Weasley's here", she informs Alice.

"Oh! Yes, send them in", we hear Alice reply. Mum, and I walk in, but Albus stays back.

"You can come too you know", I say to him.

"I-I think I wanna take a walk around here, j-just look around and stuff", Albus says. I shrug.

"Okay, see you in a bit", I wave to him. I am honestly very curious about what's going on with that boy. He usually participates in boring things enthusiastically.

"Come, Rose", Mum ushers me in. This Alice lady is probably around her mid-50s. She's got grey and blond straight shoulder length hair and wrinkles. She seems decent and serious.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley, I'm Alice Tandra, the director of this support centre, pleased to meet you", Alice shakes Mum's hand and motions for us to sit on the two chairs at her desk across her chair.

"Pleased to meet you too", Mum replies.

"And are you Rose?" She turns to me.

"Yeah, hi, how are you?" I say as nice as I could.

"I'm doing well, thank you, I hear you're interested in volunteering with us?" she asks me.

"Uh…yeah I _want_ to volunteer with you", I say and look at my mum. I wonder why she didn't just tell the truth that this was her idea.

"Well, I'm going to give you a little bit more information about volunteering with us. We're going to give you two forms that you're going to fill out. It's basically about your past volunteer experience, and just registration stuff", she says as she hands the forms to mum and me to look at.

"Now, at SCSU, we have 5 major departments, Abuse, Depression, Substance Abuse, Self Harm, and Behavior Disorders. Each have sub departments like for Abuse, It would be sexual, physical, verbal, and etc. Depression has sub departments such as, dealing with loss, self esteem issues and things like that. Substance abuse speaks for itself, it's for those who have a drug or alcohol problem or have to put up with someone else who does. Self harm is basically eating disorder or physically hurting oneself or suicidal thoughts and Behavior Disorder has sub departments such as anger management and counseling. This pamphlet has the complete list", she finishes and hands us a pamphlet.

"Most of the teens here are registered in more than one area so someone with Self Harm is also in Depression or someone in behavior disorder is also in depression. Because of this, you'll probably be working in more than one departments or sub-departments. How this would work is you would attend three sessions a week and there will be a professional counselor who will counsel the group for an hour and then they will do group exercises in pairs, or trios, or even as a whole group. It will give the kids a chance to socialize and talk about their problems. Many kids will want to talk to the counselor rather than each other and you'll be there to talk to them and just offer them advice or lead activities in little groups and share your experiences. You'll basically be helping the counselor"

I'm sorry but I don't think I can sit in sessions and lead activities, I mean it's just not going to work. I'm not very good a leader.

"Or another way you could volunteer is you will be assigned a struggling teen and you'll be befriending them. Most of the teens who come here lack friends and it would be great if you could be a friend to them. You'll meet your friend here twice a week, and you can also choose to meet them outside at your own time as well. Of course you'll need to talk to us about it first and if we feel it's safe to do so, then you may. We do not advise you to be alone with your partner if you choose this option because some of these teens can get a little out of control sometimes and we don't want to threaten your safety", to be honest I like the sound of this better. I think Mum seems a bit uneasy about this option.

"But before you do anything, you will need to attend a volunteer orientation workshop, where you'll sit in a class with other volunteers and you'll be trained on how to talk to them, calm them down, or what to do in an emergency and that sort of thing. You can do this alone or bring a family member or a friend. So if you are interested in doing this, you can send in your registration by Wednesday. That leaves you three days to think about it and discuss it with your family. We really need you to think this thoroughly, because it's a very serious position and you have to be very responsible and dedicated. You also have to be aware that it can be a little emotional and you have to keep an open mind with these people", she looks at me and mum with a serious face that is making me have second thoughts about volunteering here. Of course I'd like to help but what she just said is scaring me a little.

"Rose?" Mum looks at me, probably read my mind again.

"Oh…yes, yes, I think I want to do the befriending option", I say to the Alice because I don't think being a counselor's assistant is going to work for me, plus sessions are three times a week and I only have to see this person twice a week..

"Oh Rose are you sure about that?" Mum asks, "I think it would be better for you to do the group thing".

Even though I can't read her mind, I can see why Mum's a little uncomfortable about the second option, and frankly, I'm touched that she worries for me, but I am sure I want to do this one.

"Yes, Mum, I think I want to go with the second option", I say determined.

"And you both are sure you want to do this?" Alice asks again, "Do you think you're going to be dedicated to your 'friend' because he or she really needs someone serious".

"Yes, we're sure", I say.

"Let's get started then", Alice says.

After the discussion, Mum filled the registration form, and I filled the form where I have to write about myself. I laugh in my head as I read the last question _'Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with us?'_ I contemplate what would happen if I write '_I'm a witch'. _After that, someone else comes into the office by the name of Leanne Wilde. Leanne gives us a tour of the building. When we step outside, Al isn't there, but a minute later we see him turn into the hall way we're in and he walks over to us.

"Where did you go Albus?" Mum asks curiously.

"Oh, nowhere, just looking around", Al says.

"Oh, that's what we're going to do right now. Leanne's gonna give us a tour" I say. The four of us then go to the elevator and check out the departments. Sort of reminds me of the Ministry of Magic. Each department has a separate floor, there's a cafeteria, a gymnasium, a recreation room and a bunch of washrooms. Leanne then takes us to the Volunteer Orientation room. The next workshop is in half an hour so Mum, Al and I wait in the classroom. We aren't the first ones there. There's a couple who seem to be in there early twenties. Probably college students and they're just giggling and whispering. The boy seems to be saying things in the girl's ears and she's just planting a kiss on his cheek. I kind of feel jealous since I don't have a boyfriend but I kind of want to gag.

More people start filing in. They all look boring except this girl Al can't take his eyes off of. She seems to be my age with blond wavy hair and a decent figure. She sees Al staring at her and smiles at him. Unfortunately, she seems to have a boyfriend because she's here with a really cute college age boy.

However, they don't seem to be that into each other like the other couple. They're just talking and laughing. Maybe they're just friends…

Finally, the trainer is here and he hands a pamphlet out to all of us. He's a very young man probably early thirties, but specks of gray hair are already visible on his head.

"Good afternoon, folks, my name is Mark and welcome to the volunteer orientation for SCSU. As you all know, this is a very serious job and we've just opened it to volunteers last year since before last year it was strictly for professionals. On that note, I'd like to say that we need very patient, dedicated, and responsible people to help our struggling teens. I'm sure Alice must have gone through this with you but I cannot stress enough how important this is. Honestly, if anyone feels that they cannot fulfill this requirement, the best advice I can give you is to just walk away right now. Don't be ashamed or offended but the people here cannot be around volunteers that are just going to dillydally, they need serious help".

I'm starting to seriously have second thoughts about this…like these people are scaring me!

After his intro, Mark came around and handed out some paper and pencils for us to take notes, and then he began his lecture.

It was such a long and tiring day when we finally came home. I felt good and prepared though. The orientation was very interesting. We learned about what to do when someone is in a rage or how to react if they insult us or what to say if they ask personal questions. I consider myself to be outgoing and social. I have a big group of friends at Hogwarts so I think I'll probably do well with the buddy I get. I'm glad I chose the buddy system instead of the sessions system since it seems easier. I still doubt that I'll make a difference in someone's life though. Mum and Al think I will… but they're both just encouraging people.

Alice says my name is down on a list of volunteers and based on what I have written about myself, they will assign me a buddy. If there's more than one volunteer that matches a struggling teen, then they'll just let the teen choose a name from the list. She said we'll find out sometime within this week.

I go to my bedroom and change into my pj's even though it's only 6:30 in the evening and go downstairs for dinner. Al stays for dinner and we tell Dad and Hugo about everything that happened at SCSU.

"Rose, dear, are you sure you want to do the buddy system, it could get a little challenging…" Dad asks. Obviously Mum told him the little detail about the buddy getting crazy on me and no counselor there. Honestly! She makes the biggest deal out of everything!

"In case you all are wondering, the buddy is not going to rage on me", I say looking directly at Mum who looks down at her food, "Mark said there are three red buttons in each room, if anything happens, I'll press one of those and help will come right away, plus it's not like I'm going to be meeting up with my buddy to go for coffee or to the carnival together or something", Hugo and Al, try to hold back laughter. I know they must be imagining me and some depressed person going bowling!

Dad sigh's a sigh of relief and we finish talking about SCSU. Mum and Dad start talking about the ministry and how Minister Shacklebot is retiring soon. Al, Hugo, and I make plans to go to the movie with a bunch of our cousins. An hour and a half after dinner, Mum apparates Al back to Godric's Hollow and I go to my room to write a letter to my best friend, Emma. I haven't spoken to her since we said our goodbyes at Kings Cross Station on June 30th. I don't finish the letter unfortunately because I doze off at my desk.

I feel like it's just been an hour since I dozed off when Mum's shaking my sleeping figure. I put the blanket over my head trying to block her voice away. Epic Fail!

"Rose! Rose, wake up, darling!" She shakes me some more.

"What do you want? Go away!" I say as I turn over to the other side.

"Rose, Alice called, someone has just selected you to be a friend to them!"


	5. Scorpius Malfoy! Since When?

So apparently this is what happened; I had fallen asleep on my desk last night while writing a letter to my girl, Emma. I never finished my letter but dad saw that I had fallen asleep and helped me to my bed and tucked me in. Isn't he such a sweetheart? I was so tired that I had slept till noon the next day and Alice Tandra had called around that time and Mum told me she said a very depressed and angry type of boy had come by and he was matched with me and three other people but he immediately chose my name. Mum and I are going to go to SCSY this coming Sunday and I'm supposed to meet him.

I'm actually really excited to meet this kid; I wonder what kind of problems he's going through. Alice said we have to come by 1:00 pm so she can tell us a bit about him while a counsellor is going to tell him a bit about me, and then we're going to meet each other at around 2:00 pm and sit for an hour or two and get to know each other better. It's kind of corny really. And it kind of reminds me of an arranged marriage. My friend Priya Patil's Indian and her older sister Payal met her husband like this. They were told a bit about each other and _then_ got to meet and talk and get to know each other better. Indian culture's fascinating but I would probably run away if I had to have an arranged marriage, unless it's arranged with Eric of course.

Anyways, Mum's kind of nervous about me meeting this boy. It's like she thinks he's going to beat me or something, which I highly doubt. So now Mum's at the Ministry of Magic trying to get me a temporary permit to use magic in case of an emergency and to obliviate the memories of any muggle witnesses, including the boy. Even though I think she's going a bit overboard with the whole safety, and self-defence thing, I'm still going to carry my wand in a little pouch my mum gave me. She said this pouch can fit a whole house in it and it was very handy when she needed it the most. I'm not sure if Mum will be able to get me the permit since I'm still underage but she's really good friends with Minister Shacklebot. I really don't think the boy's going to try to hurt me simply because we won't be seeing much of each other. Twice a week makes it around 9 times, since I'm only doing this for a month. He probably won't even get to know me that well, and I probably won't get to know the boy that well either. I realize I don't even know his name; I keep calling him 'the boy'. That sounds funny actually, 'The Boy'.

The Week couldn't pass by any slower. I'm so excited to meet this kid. Mum and Dad are so surprised with my enthusiasm, and to be honest, so am I. Mum keeps saying "told you it could be fun", every chance she gets. Honestly, if she says this one more time, I'm going to shove a fork up someone's ass. Even though I'm excited, I'm also kind of nervous. What if the boy doesn't like me? There's a chance he could hate my guts and not want to see me and make Voodoo dolls of me and stab them everyday. Isn't he supposed to be slightly deranged with temper problems anyways?

It's finally the morning of the day I get to see him. I wake up nice and early but I'm too nervous to have breakfast. I change into a nice flowing lilac skirt that comes just above the knee, a white tank top, and a colourful floral cardigan and my pretty, white sandals. I have my hair in loose curls and I put on some light makeup. I've always believed that a person's appearance says a lot about their personality and I think my outfit today says that I am a sweet and friendly person so this boy doesn't have to hate me. Mum thinks I over think about what I wear too much, but she's old, what does she know. Mum and I get in the car around 12:45 pm and make our way to the same building. She wasn't able to get the permit but Minister Shacklebot says he believes I'm responsible and if I do decide to use magic, it'll be fine, as long as I don't use it too much, and when it's not an emergency. As mum drives, I'm getting butterflies in my stomach and I thank the Lord for letting me skip breakfast today.

"Rosie, don't be nervous", Mum says.

"Okay, Mum, but I could say the same thing to you, you look quite nervous yourself", I say.

"Well, I'm your Mother, and I know this will come as a big shock to you but I care about you and worry for you" she says. I guess this is where I get my sarcasm from.

Mum and I both laugh at her last comment. Sometimes my mum and I actually laugh and make jokes together, especially in the recent years. I used to be really rebellious and annoying back when I was around 14 years old. I always had snide comments and remarks but as I'm getting older, I'm learning to keep those comments in my head, which really helped in improving my relationship with my Mum and Dad. Every teenager has a phase I guess.

We finally get there and 'Barbie's twin sister' recognizes us and motions for us to go in Alice's office. She probably remembers our name since we didn't have to stop at the receptionist's desk.

"Hello, Rose, Hello Mrs. Weasley, it's great to see you both again!" Alice says as she shakes mine and Mum's hand, "Take a seat". We sit on the same chairs that we sat in last time we were in here.

"Right now, as we speak, your buddy, is in a counsellors room talking about you", Alice says, Mum chuckles, but I don't understand why, maybe she's nervous.

"Ms. Tandra, what's his name, how old is he, what's going on with him", I had so many questions in my head, but for the moment I just asked these.

"Well, Rose, we usually have the buddy's introduce their names to each other but, I will tell you that he's your age", she says looking down at a paper, which is probably his information, "in fact he's almost 17, just a couple moths older than you but I don't think it'll make a difference", she said kindly.

"Okay..." Mum says.

"I met with his grandmother today. She tells me he's very kind at heart, but he's had bad things happen to him and there's a lot of pressure. A couple years ago, he got into drugs, some that I haven't heard of, but his grandmother says they're common where he's from", Alice tells us.

"Oh my! Drugs?" Mum gasps.

"Don't worry, Ms. Weasley, he's over it now, in fact, it was us who helped him, around 2 years ago. I wasn't the director then so I don't know him well. He's come back now because he's very depressed and has a really bad temper problem. He's also very lonely. His anger is the main reason why I asked you to meet me today", Alice tells us.

I can hear Mum holding her breath.

"Rose, I say this to you and your mother, do not see him when you are not around people. It's okay if you want to hang out in public places but I advise you not to meet him alone. He gets mad for the slightest things and we don't want him to hurt you. If you're in a public place, someone can call the police or help you but please, do not meet him alone. He's not a mean spirited person and he won't intentionally try to harm you, but accidents do happen".

I think Alice has seriously scared Mum because she looks like she's going to faint. I myself am a little nervous but a little more excited. Call me crazy but I like a little action and excitement. Plus my life is kind of boring anyway.

"I'm going to give you a phone number that you can call anytime, and you will always find someone. You can call this number if you're out with your buddy and there's an emergency or if you notice some odd behaviour or have any questions", Alice hands me the number. I quickly add it to my cell phone.

"Now I need you and your Mum, to both sign this paper, it's just a contract that says that we gave you the full details about the risk involved, and you are absolutely aware about everything before you go through with this", Alice hands Mum and me the paper. Mum looks extremely sick right now and I know she regrets this very much. I know she's wishing she volunteered me at a summer camp instead. On the other hand I'm getting more and more excited because I love challenges. Alice picks up her phone and asks someone to get two cups of tea and a glass of water. I'm absolutely sure this is for Mum because she looks very pale as she signs the paper with shaking hands. She hasn't even said a word.

"Mum, don't worry, I'm responsible, I can handle it because I'll do what Alice told me to and I won't do anything Alice told me not to do", I try to comfort her and rub her arm. She holds my hand.

"Mrs. Weasley, I know this contract might scare you a little but to be honest, there isn't a lot of risk this is just a formality, and we haven't had any accident or bad case in the past couple years. We won't do anything that we feel isn't safe for your daughter", Alice comforts Mum as I sign the paper.

We hear a knock on the door and a really nice looking woman comes in.

"I was coming here to get Rose anyways so I decided to just bring you the tea myself", the woman says.

"Thank you, Lauren", Alice says, "Rose, this is Lauren, she's your buddy's counsellor, she's going to take you to meet him", Alice tells me.

I get up and walk towards the door with Lauren while Alice gives mum the glass of water and they both take a cup of tea. Alice assures my mother I'll be alright and how this is a good experience for me. She tries to relax Mum and I'm glad it's working.

Lauren and I walk down the hall to the room where my buddy is supposed to be sitting, but the hallway seems to be so long, it feels like we've been walking for an eternity.

"Are you nervous, Rose?" Lauren asks me.

"Well, I guess after the things Alice told us about him, I am kind of nervous, but I'm more excited than nervous to meet him", I say truthfully.

"Don't be too worried about it, Alice has to tell you everything because it's a formality and just in case you're prepared but he's not that bad. He's definitely clean now from the drugs. Just be confident, and you're not going to be alone, I'm sure Alice told you about the red buttons, don't hesitate to press them if you feel the need", Lauren says kindly.

"Thanks, Lauren", I say thankfully.

"No problem, here we are. You can let yourself in, and I'm going to go now..." Lauren says.

"Wait, what? You're not going to stay, you're going to leave me here with someone who could probably take his anger out on me?" I say, surprised. I was not expecting to introduce myself to him! I feel like a little child who is released into the world at such a tender age. I'm not ready...

"Rose he's not going to hurt you, it'll be fine, and he knows not to even lay a finger on you. And its better that you introduce yourselves because it'll help you both build confidence, trust, and just become closer", Lauren said. "Don't worry, Rose, you'll be fine, and we would never throw you into something we feel is not safe for you".

"Okay, Thanks for the support, Lauren", I say.

"Anytime!" and with that, she leaves.

And I'm left standing outside the door, and not feeling as confident as I was back at home. I take a deep breath, fix my skirt and turn the knob of the door ever so slightly; I open the door so gently that I don't think he heard it open. Quietly I walk in. I see the back of a really tall, blond—very blond—boy in a dark red t-shirt and dark blue baggy jeans with silver chains hanging from the belt holes. He's probably the typical 'I-think-I'm-gangster' type of teenager. He's looking out the window, with his arms hanging down his sides. I can see his fingers are nervously fidgeting. I don't want to make him aware of my presence but I want him to know I'm here. He doesn't turn around so I clear my throat to let him know I'm here. His fingers freeze and he turns around at the speed of light. For a second I just stare at him because he looks so familiar...

"SCORPIUS MALFOY?" I yell out of shock. He looks annoyed.

"Why don't you just announce my name on the p.a. system, Weasley," he snarls.

"I-I'm sorry but what—I mean why are you—w-what are you doing here?" I ask.

"Aren't you supposed to know that, Weasley, or did you sign up for this with your eyes shut?" He responds, very rudely I might add.

"I-I'm sorry, but I'm really sur-surprised", I said. I thought someone would come in right now with TV cameras and say 'Gotcha!' in my face, but no one did.

What the hell is Al's best friend doing here? What is Scorpius Malfoy doing here in a muggle help centre? How did his parents and grandparents agree to this? They're supposed to be the perfect, elite, pureblood family in our society, why is the heir of this family sitting in a muggle help centre? Malfoys are supposed to have everything they could ever want, so why is Scorpius getting treated for depression and anger management? I wonder if Al knows about this. If he does, then why wouldn't he tell me? Or maybe even he doesn't know. But they are best friends; I think...I can't believe I had the biggest crush on this kid 2 years ago, when he was busy getting high. No wonder Alice didn't know about some of the drugs he did, because they aren't known or available to muggles.

I collapse on the sofa and he looks at me with furrowed eyebrows. I can tell he's extremely annoyed.

"Come on, Weasley. Stop over reacting", he snaps and takes a seat on the arm chair across from me.

"I-I'm very sorry", I said ashamed. Even if he does have problems, I probably embarrassed him so much. I feel really bad...but I have so many questions to ask him I don't even know where to begin.

"It's fine", he growls and looks away. Neither of us say anything for a while.

"Scorpius..."I finally break the silence with a small voice.

"What?" he looks at me.

"Tell me", I ask him.

"Tell you what?" He says confused.

"Everything, how long has this been going on for", I ask. I feel this is a good place to start my questions, "Alice Tandra told me a little bit about you. She said you have a lot going on. I can't believe I never noticed this Hogwarts", I say.

"Well, Weasley, I don't exactly, have 'I have issues' written on my forehead for you or anyone to notice", he smirks.

"Yes, but we used to see each other so much, you are always with Al".

"Were", he corrected me, "haven't you noticed, Weasley, Al and I don't talk anymore. You're not really observant you know", he says but doesn't manage to offend me. We're both quiet again. I can't believe Al and him don't talk anymore. Scorpius spent summers at Godric's Hollow back in second and third year, but now they don't even talk. I'm more shocked at the fact that Al never told me this I take a deep breath and try to go back to what we're here for.

"Scorpius, I'm going to be your friend. And I'm going to help you with whatever is bothering you", I say confidently. Malfoy just laughs coldly. What a douchebag.

"You can't help me, Rose".

"Yes I can. And that's what I'm going to do", I say confidently. I have completely relaxed and accepted the shock. Now that I feel sane again, I can't help but notice that he's still as good looking as he was before. I don't think I saw him much for the past couple years, but he's definitely just as cute as he was when I used to write his name all over my notebook back in third year. I can't believe my own thoughts right now. I am crazy...

Scorpius sigh, "Weasley, there is so much you don't know about me. And I don't think I want to start retelling my whole life to you. I-I just want to be left alone. I know you probably made a lot of assumptions about me, but I really don't want your help, or your friendship, whether it's genuine or temporary. I don't want you around and I want you to go away and just leave me alone", he stands up and walks over to the window.

He wants me to go away? He doesn't want me here? That kind of hurt! I'm really sad to hear that he doesn't want to go through with this because I'm really looking forward to this teens helping teens thing, but there is just one question that doesn't leave my mind.

"Malfoy?" I say his name.

He doesn't turn around but responds, "Yes, Weasley?"

"Why did you select me to be your friend, you had 3 other people who matched you?"

"I-I didn't se-select you, they just put me with you". What a liar!

"They told me you came by and immediately chose my name. If you don't like me then you shouldn't have chosen me".

"Who says I don't like you?", He turns around to look at me.

"Well, you obviously don't, because you don't even want to bother getting to know me, and you don't even want to at least try and become friends, you don't even want to look at me". I'm not stupid enough to cry about this but my voice is very small and sad. To be honest, I'm kind of hurt and offended that he doesn't want me here or to befriend him and that he doesn't want me to talk to him.

"Oh Weasley, don't start emotionally blackmailing me now. I get enough of that at home". Well, that's progress I guess. I've discovered his family emotionally blackmails him.

"Don't worry, I get emotionally blackmailed by my mum all the time", I try to connect with him.

"Yes but this is different", he insists.

"Trust me, Scorpius, my family is probably just as crazy as yours", I say again trying to relate to him.

Scorpius freezes and looks at me straight in the eye, "Who said anything about my family being crazy?" Oops. I was not supposed to say that or act like I know things about him. I can't believe how stupid I was to mention that. He didn't want me to make assumptions about him and that's exactly what I did!

"N-no one. I'm sorry, I j-just assumed th-that", I stammer. I can't believe how stupid I am!

"See! There you go making your assumptions just like I knew you would!" he leans down and yells in my face, I feel so small right now. I can see he's trying to calm himself. I let out a small frightened scream as he punches the table and paces rapidly around the room.

"The truth is, Weasley, you don't know anything because you probably are too ignorant and bloody selfish to pay attention to other people! You've grown up with your Blood Traitor father, and your Mudblood mother, who protected you and spoon-fed you every little obstacle in life! You haven't been out in the real world where no one cares about you and no one is going to make sure you are tucked in at night and sleeping peacefully. You're a pathetic little daddy's girl who thinks she knows everything, but the truth is, you don't know much because you're not as smart as you think!" Scorpius yells and kicks the armchair with one leg. It goes flying across the room and crashes loudly into the wall. If I wasn't shocked by his words, I would scream and press the red button next to the sofa I'm sitting at.

But I just sit there dumbstruck, and offended by what he said. He called my mother a Mudblood, he called me ignorant and selfish and pathetic. He insulted me! No one has ever talked to me this way, not even my parents. I want to run out that door and just cry, because I do have feelings. But I don't. Instead, I yell back because that's how my parents have raised me, fight for myself, rather than just cry in a corner.

"You know what, Malfoy? You're an unthankful little brat! I came here to try and help you! We just finished our bloody OWL's and I want to enjoy my summer! But No! I came here to help you with your stupid life! You're a bloody asshole! You think you've got problems! Be thankful that you're not starving, or have an incurable disease. At least you've got a home, you're healthy and you have your freedom. There are kids out there with bigger problems than yours and I can't believe I tried to waste my time with you! You're a jerk!" I yell at him. Malfoy looks stunned that I yelled back at him. I don't waste my time and examine his stupid face. Instead I storm out and slam the door behind me. Thank god this room is at the end of the hallway where no one can hear loud noises. I storm back to Alice's office.

"Mum?" I open the door. Mum and Alice are still there talking. They're laughing now, and just enjoying tea and a good conversation.

"Rose, how did it go?" Mum asks, more relaxed than I had left her.

"It was fun, Mum, but can we go home now, I'm not feeling well", I lie.

"Oh, of course dear", Mum stands up and grabs her bag; "It was so nice talking to you Alice", Mum says.

"Same here. Thanks for coming!" Alice replies.

"Bye", once they said their goodbyes, Mum and I left.

"Rose, what's the rush?" Mum asks me as we walk towards our car.

"No rush. I'm just feeling a little sick", I lie again. I'm not going to tell her what happened. And there is no way I'm going to tell her my buddy is Malfoy. She and Dad will make such a big deal out of it.

"Rose, let's stop at the doctors, on the way" Mum suggests.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because you're not feeling well", she says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Mum, I don't want to go to the doctors, can we please just go home?" I say as Mum starts the car.

"Okay, fine..." She says, but I can still see her trying to read me from the corners of her eyes.


	6. Someone with Feelings Now

"How was the meeting with your buddy today, Rose?" Dad asked as he took a bite of his lasagna.

"It was okay…" I say unenthusiastically because Scorpius's words are still fresh in my mind.

Dad looks at Mum with a questioning look on his face. He's obviously wondering what's wrong with me.

"Rose, dear, is something bothering you? Did something happen at the centre? You've been awfully quiet since we got back", she observes.

"No, Mum, I really don't feel well. That's all. I think it's the heat that's making me feel sick to my stomach", I try to convince her. I haven't really touched my lasagna either. I've just been picking at it.

"Well, its fine if you want to go lie down", Dad says.

"Okay", I slide my plate to Hugo because I know he'll shove it in his mouth and I don't like throwing food away when so many children in the world are dying of hunger. I get up go upstairs without saying another word to anyone. I stop at the top of the stairs where I can hear my family talking.

"Hermione, I think it's something to do with the whole SCSY thing. I think something happened there", I hear Dad say in a hushed tone to Mum.

"I'm thinking the same thing but when I ask her what's wrong, she just says she's not feeling well", Mum replies.

"Maybe something happened with the boy", Dad suggested.

"Maybe she scared him away", Hugo said with his mouth full.

"Hugo, please" Dad said annoyed.

Even though I wasn't tired, I lie down on my bed and think about Scorpius. I feel sad about what he said to me but I feel sadder about what I said to him. Scorpius has temper problems; he's depressed and angry and can't control himself. On the other hand, I'm perfectly capable of holding on to my anger. I have complete control over myself yet I still yelled at him. I knew this teen helping teen thing was a bad idea. I probably put him in an even worse position then he was before he met me. Scorpius is probably going through so much and I'm so stupid to be mean to him. If I was in his position, I wouldn't want anyone to meddle in my business either. I feel bad for him but I don't know why, he refused to talk to me and tell me what's going on. The counselors think it's better for him to tell me rather than them telling me about what's going on in his life. While thinking, I fall asleep and dream about Scorpius making Voodoo dolls of me…

It been a few days since our fiasco and I haven't tried to contact SCSY and inquire about Scorpius. He probably hasn't tried to contact me either. I debate whether to call that number Alice gave me ask for some advice on how to deal with him. I'm dreading Wednesday because I'm supposed to meet him that day. The days I'm supposed to meet Scorpius are Wednesdays and Sundays. They said we were free to talk on the phone but he never called me and I didn't bother to call him either. Al called my cell phone a couple days ago but I didn't pick up. I'm still not over the fact that Al never told me about him and Scorpius and I get a feeling that Al knows what's going on with Scorpius.

It's Tuesday night and I'm depressed as ever. The color has drained from my face because I keep thinking if Scorpius does something irrational, it'll be my fault because I was so mean to him. I change into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt and just lounge on my favorite sofa to watch some vampire TV show. This blond vampire chick is trying to help the really depressed werewolf guy prepare for his transformation on a full moon. The werewolf guy keeps asking her why she's helping him and she keeps saying it's because she cares about him. But he's so freaking stupid he doesn't get it. Scorpius is just as stupid, no, stupider, at least the werewolf guy appreciates it and let's her help him, but Scorpius is so mean and so closed off.

"Ew, why are you watching that dumb show again?" Hugo asks as he plops down on the other sofa.

"What are you talking about, it's such a good show", I insist even though I'm kind of bored now.

My voice is very depressed and monotone, which prompts Hugo to question me, "Rose what's wrong? I know it has something to do with SCSY?"

"Nothing's wrong, I've just been feeling a little sick lately", I thought my lie was convincing but apparently not.

"Come on, Rose, you honestly expect me to believe that?"

"Did Dad send you down here to interrogate me? I know he did, Hugo!" I get up.

"I swear he didn't!" Hugo insists. I believe him so I lie back down. I believe Hugo because he's always the first person to catch on when I'm in a mood, and his guesses are usually correct. He's probably an observant 13-year-old because I'm not a predictable person.

"Hugo, you have to promise not to tell Mum or Dad", I sigh.

"I promise", Hugo says looking at me very worried. Although he can be a little dumb and annoying at times, Hugo is very sweets and caring at heart.

"Okay, my buddy is this depressed, angry and very disturbed 16-year-old boy. Guess who it is?" I ask him.

"I don't know…who is it, Rose?"

"Scorpius Malfoy", I sigh.

"Scorpius Malfoy?" Hugo squeals in shock. Oh puberty! You've turned my little brother into a girl!

"Keep it down, I don't want our crazy parents to hear", I remind him.

"What's Malfoy doing there? Is that why you've been upset because you used to have a crush on a crazy person", Hugo asks. Sometimes he can be so unintelligent.

"Hugo! That has nothing to do with any of this! I'm over him, that was two years ago!" I yell at him in a hushed tone.

"Then what's bothering you. That Al didn't tell you about this", Hugo asks. And at other times, the kid makes a good point.

"I don't even know if Al knows about this. Scorpius said him and Al haven't been speaking for a while. But I feel that Al knew something. I don't know what though. He was a little odd when I told him about me volunteering there. If he does know something, I feel kind of betrayed that he wouldn't tell me. I am really upset that he didn't tell me that him and his best friend—well, ex-best friend now—aren't on speaking terms anymore" I say truthfully.

"Maybe there's a reason why Al didn't tell you. Are you going to confront him or ask him about it?" Hugo asked.

"No! I'm not going to talk to him for a while because if he wants to talk to me, he'll come to me", I growl.

"So what happened at the meeting?" Hugo asks curiously.

"Well, he was kind of annoyed at my shocked reaction and he just told me to leave him alone and he doesn't want to befriend me", I decide it's best to leave the details about the insults, anger, and violation of furniture out. "I'm actually very offended because he's like, I don't want you around", I imitate him, "I don't want your friendship, leave me alone, go away", I do an exaggerated whining voice. Hugo laughs at my imitation, "Hugo!" I throw a pillow at him, Ironic?

"I'm sorry, Rose, but I think you have to understand that this was kind of expected. He's very depressed and lonely, and he doesn't want to tell someone about himself. Someone he doesn't even trust yet, someone he probably won't be seeing again after the end of the month. You should see where he's coming from. Maybe that's why he chose you, because he's hopeful that you'll continue to be there for him even after the volunteering thing is done. I mean, you're in the same year, you'll probably see each other next year in classes and free periods. I think he's looking for something more than a temporary friendship", Hugo says.

Hugo is absolutely right; I can't just throw myself at him and expect him to catch me with his wounded arms. Wow, who knew my dorky little brother had the soul of a wise and intelligent man. I feel like I failed Scorpius. I should have been more patient and understood that he wouldn't want a one month friendship and then be left alone, back to where he started. I feel even more horrible now because even my little brother is wiser and kinder than me.

"Here", I toss Hugo the TV remote, "Watch whatever you want, I'm going to bed", I say as I get up. Hugo immediately changes the channel to some show about Monstrous trucks colliding into each other. I change into some shorts and a tank top and hide myself under the blanket because I'm so cold. Stupid Air conditioning. I can't believe Scorpius did drugs, surely Al can't not know this, since they were best friends. I can't help but replay his harsh words in my mind again. He said in the real world, no one cares about you. Maybe that's exactly what's going on; maybe he feels no one cares about him. Maybe no one actually cares him. I know he never got on well with his family since he would often stay with the Potters for Christmas, Easter and the summer holidays. I want to care about him, but he hates me. I don't remember when, but while gathering my thoughts I had fallen asleep. That night I had a dream that I was being held on trial at the ministry for driving Scorpius Malfoy into suicide. The Wizengamot ruled against me and I was being dragged off to Azkaban by dementors.

I woke up sweating because my dream had scared me so much. I looked at the time. It was 7:43 in the morning, and everyone was still asleep. Today's Wednesday, my day to meet Scorpius. Scorpius and I are supposed to meet every Wednesday and Sunday but today, I just wasn't in the mood. It would be awkward. What would I say to him? Would he even show up? I don't want to look like a fool just waiting for him and he doesn't end up coming. I have decided I don't want to go. I get up from my bed and go downstairs to my dad's office as quietly as I can. His secret drawer is locked, but nothing a little _'alohomora'_ can't fix. I open Dad's drawer where he stashes junk from my Uncle's George's shop. He has it hidden because Mum doesn't allow many things from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in the house, especially Puking Pastilles. I grab a piece of the little candy and tiptoe back upstairs to my room. There's still a little more than an hour left before Mum and Dad wake up, which is perfect time for the candy to start showing its effects. I lie back down in my bed and hideaway under my warm comforter and go back to sleep…

"Rose! Rose! Are you okay! Wake up, Rose!" I hear dad try to wake me. He sounded like he was panicking because I was groaning and clutching my stomach.

"I don't feel so good", I get up. I regret taking the little candy because I feel like I'm going to…I run to my washroom and hurl in my toilet.

"Hermione! Come quick!" I hear Dad running and yelling all over the house.

"What wrong! Is everyone okay! Where's Rose and Hugo?" Mum comes running to my room.

"Rose is hurling all over the place, I think we might need to take her to the hospital!" Dad panicked more than necessary.

"Rose?" Mum says coming into my washroom.

"Uhhh", I groan.

"Oh dear", Mum says as she sees me. She helps me to my bed. "You don't have a fever", she says as she feels my forehead, "But you do look very pale".

"Does she need medical attention?" Dad asked worried.

"I think we should call the doctor just in case…" Mum says examining me. I try to block my mind by thinking about how sick I am, in case she's doing her weird occlumency thing.

"No that's fine", I say, "Mummy, could you just make me some of your special soup, please?" I ask in my sweetest and most innocent voice. Well, as innocent as I can get.

"Of course, Sweety. Just lie in your bed, and I'll get you anything you need", Mum said warmly.

"Thank you, Mommy", I say sweetly. Mum plants a kiss on my head and pulls down my curtains.

"So, she's not critically ill, then? I think I'll just go get dressed for work now", Dad said and left. Mum chuckled, and followed him out. Once Mum is a safe distance away, I finally resume to my genuine thoughts.

Now that I'm 'sick', I'm not going to have to see Scorpius today. Even if he does show up at SCSY today, he'll probably be relieved to hear that I'm not coming. But what am I going to do in this stupid bed all day? I don't even need the rest. I take out some of my 'muggle toys', as Grandpa would call my laptop, cell phone, and iPod, to keep myself entertained. Mum apparently told practically everyone in the family that I'm sick so I was supposed to expect some visitors this afternoon. Great! Note the sarcasm please. Hugo woke up around noon. When he found out, he was suspicious of my supposed stomach flu the day of my second meeting with Malfoy. So I had to let him in on the secret. Not because he was suspicious, but because the effect of my candy was starting to wear off and I need him to run down to dad's office to get me some more while Mum was giving me some lunch. He disapproved very much. After some lunch, I threw up some more and took a little nap.

To my pleasant surprise, my first visitor was my best friend Emma. Speaking of Emma, I never got to sending her that letter.

"I'm so glad to see you", I say hugging her, "I have so much to tell you".

"How is your summer so far, Rose?" She asked. "I'm so sad you're sick, especially during the first couple days of summer. I hope you feel better. I made some soup for you, I put it in the kitchen", she said as she takes a seat on my chair. I truly love Emma. She's the sweetest girl in the world. But she can be a bitch if you really piss her off, and that's when she can make you cry. Sometimes I surprise myself because I love her so much, I usually don't like people who are too nice. I guess it's her bitchy side that makes me her best friend.

"Close my door", I say to her. Emma can sense something is fishy as she gets up to close my door.

"You're not sick, are you, you clever little bitch?" She punches my arm playfully. I tell her all about SCSY and Scorpius. I tell her about his depression and that he's not happy with his family but I leave out the parts about his supposed dangerous temper and his drug addiction two years ago. Emma doesn't make a big deal about the shock that Malfoy is at SCSY. She is surprised but she isn't like me when I first found out.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Rose", she comforts me, "I know you feel bad for yelling at him, but he's was a bit rude too. I'm sure he'll come around. After all, he's a dude, they don't think with their brains, they think with their—"

"I know!" I laugh knowing what she was going to say.

"If he doesn't contact you by Sunday, you should call SCSY and check up on him. Or call his house", Emma suggests.

"There is no way I'm calling his house!" I say immediately, "Oh by the way, your stupid crush never bothered to tell me him and Scorpius haven't been on speaking terms for the past couple years…I think it's a couple years, but Scorpius said they don't talk anymore". I inform Emma who has a really big crush on Al.

"Really!" Emma looks surprised, "They don't talk? Since when? Weren't they best friends?"

"I know that's what I thought too, but apparently not", I say. Emma's quiet now. I can tell that she's trying to think. Emma stays for a while and updates me on what's going on with our friends. My good friend Bonnie hooked up with my cousin Louis. My cousin Louis is probably the hottest guy in our school. His mother's part veela and his father's part werewolf, so he's naturally quite sexy, well to other people he is. I agree he's one of the better looking cousins I have but of course I can't really say much since he is my cousin and like a brother. I find out from Emma that my other friend Priya is grounded for life. Well she's probably not literally grounded for life but she is in big time trouble. She went clubbing with her neighbor and his two 19-year-old cousins. His parents found out and told her parents and the neighborhood is like a danger zone. I'm sure I would get into the same amount of trouble if I did that. Were only sixteen. I was sad when Emma had to go since I was so bored all day.

My next visitors were Granny, Aunt Ginny, and Lily. Granny brought so much soup I think we'll be eating it till the next year. She and Aunt Ginny came to see me for a bit but go back to the kitchen and chat with Mum for most of the time while Lily stayed with me and talked non-stop.

"So he told me he really likes me, but what should I do, Rose? Dad said I can't date until I'm in 15, but I really like him and he's really nice", Lily went on about her latest crush.

"First of all, darling, he's a 6th year and you're only 14. That's a no-no", I say, "And there's no point sneaking the relationship because Al will eventually find out, we'll all have classes and spares with Jacob, and he'll tell James who'll just make a big deal out of it, and both of them are going to tell your parents with an exaggerated story, and you'll get into so much shit" I tell her, "And I'm telling you this from personal experience". I'm not going to bother bringing up Josh, he's already graduated now, plus stupid Dominique ruined everything anyways.

"You are so right. So are you saying I should make sure to hide it from my brothers or make them promise not to tell", she asks. I sigh. I'm going to have to give this girl the whole speech again.

After Granny, Aunt Ginny and Lily leave. Aunt Audrey and Uncle Percy come. I close my bedroom door right away and turn off my lights to pretend to sleep. There is no way I'm going to sit and entertain my annoying uncle and his eccentric wife who looks like she's high all the time. I didn't realize I was actually tired so I take a nap.

The past couple days past by really slowly and all I can do is think about Al and Scorpius. Al never came to see me the day I was pretending to be sick, even though James, Fred, and Louis did. Even Eric came by, with a get-well-soon card, if I might add. I keep the card under my pillow and stare at it like a freak every day. There's no way Al could know that I know he lied to me and kept secrets from me. He probably doesn't even know Scorpius is at the help centre. And even if he does there is now way Al could know Scorpius is my buddy, unless Scorpius told him. Mum and Dad keep bringing up my meeting on Sunday with Scorpius. I don't act too excited but I don't act like I'm dreading it either. I like to keep my parents on the minimum with most things. It's Friday night and I still haven't heard from Scorpius or SCSY. I'm beginning to think it's over. But I will call the centre tomorrow. Even if it's over, I'm kind of sad which surprises me, since I never wanted to do this in the beginning.

I wake up really late on Saturday since I slept really late last night. I would sleep some more but my stupid cell phone had woke me up.

"Hello", I growl as I pick it up.

"Uh, hello, is this Rose?" The person on the other end says. It's a female voice that sounds really familiar.

"Um, yes, who is this?" I say with a much more normal voice.

"Hello, Rose, It's Lauren, Scorpius's counselor. How are you?" She says. I sit up. Scorpius's counselor is calling me. I'm scared because I know something happened to him.

"I'm doing well, thank you" I say

"Rose, Scorpius told me you and him didn't hit it off on the right foot?"

"Yeah…about that…" I say.

"Scorpius is really sorry, he didn't tell me what your argument was about but he came by on Wednesday hoping to find you. But you were sick".

"Yeah, I had stomach flu", I explain.

"That's okay. He wanted me to call you to make sure you're coming on Sunday. He really wants to talk to you".

"Yes. Yes I'll be there", I say.

"Thanks, Rose", Lauren says.

"Yeah, it's fine", I reply and we both put the phone down.

Scorpius came by on Wednesday looking for me while I was hiding in my house pretending to be sick. He really wants to see me today. That's interesting…I decide that I'm going to apologize to him too, because I know he'll be apologizing to me. I go downstairs and remind my Mum about Sunday.

"I know, Rose, I haven't forgotten", Mum says smiling at my enthusiasm.

I spend my weekend trying to prepare my apology to him. I don't want to make it sound too corny like "Oh please, Scorpius, forgive me I beg you. It was all my fault" I laugh at a mental image of that. I want to make it sound genuine since I do need him to trust me and I am truly sorry. I finally decided I'm going to say, "I'm sorry for being so rude to you Scorpius. It was wrong of me to judge you and your family. I hope we can be friends".

On Sunday, Mum drives me to SCSY. She doesn't stay this time, but drops me off. So I'm alone once again and a little bit nervous. I'm going to stop getting so nervous about this. It's just too energy consuming plus it gives me a headache.

"Hi, Rose!" 'Barbie' says. I'm surprised she still remembers m name, it's been a whole week.

"Hi!" I say and sign in. She tells me to go to the room I was in last time, the one at the end of the hallway. The walk to that room doesn't seem to be as long as it did last week, maybe because I'm not nervous or anxious anymore. I open the door and Scorpius is sitting on the couch playing with his keys. He looks up when he hears me coming.

"Hi, Scorpius", I say softly.

"Uh, hi", he says nervously. Neither of us says anything more and just look at each other so I decide to break the silence since it's really awkward.

"How are you?" I ask. I know it sounds lame but I have to break the silence.

"Good. You?" He asks.

"I'm okay. I'm sorry for not coming on Wednesday, I had the stomach flu", I explain. Scorpius smirks slightly. I think he knows I'm lying.

"I waited for you for an hour", he says.

"I turn red out of embarrassment, "sorry", I mumble.

"Its fine", he says. He doesn't say anything about the apology Lauren told me about so I don't know whether I should start apologizing first or let him start. We're both quiet and Scorpius just continues to just stare at my face. I'm getting a bit impatient now because Lauren said Scorpius wanted to talk to me but he doesn't say anything.

"Listen, Scorpius. I'm really—"

"Wait, I have to give you something", He says. He pulls out an envelope from his pocket and hands it to me. I take it and try to open it.

"Don't open it, not here", he says.

"Why" I ask curiously. What could possibly be in here that I can't open it? It better not be a howler, but I doubt that anyways, "What is it?" I ask. At that moment, he seems to find his shoes really interesting. He looks down nervously and turns a little red. I smile because this is the first time I've seen him flushed, even when we were younger, I've never seen that expression on his face. I have to admit, it was a little cute.

"I made you a card", he says quietly, but enough for me to hear, "an apology card. And I wrote you a letter. Lauren made me. She said I have to express my feelings, and if I'm not comfortable with straight up talking, I should write you a letter", Scorpius sighed. He looked like he was a little annoyed by this, "I find all this so unnecessary".

Scorpius made me a card. An apology card. That's kind of sweet. I know Lauren made him write the letter but I wonder if she made him write the card too. Or did he do it on his own. I hope the card was his own idea. I hope he wasn't talking about the card when he said it he finds it unnecessary. I can't help but smile at him. He doesn't smile back. I make a mental note to myself that I'm going to have to teach this kid to smile. Neither of us say anything but I break the silence.

"You made me a card?" I say because I am kind of at lost for words.

Scorpius clicks his tongue annoyed, "No, Weasley, I was speaking in Spanish the whole time".

"That is very sweet of you Scorpius", I say ignoring his sarcasm, "but I have to apologize to you too. It wasn't fair for me to make judgments or assumptions. I'm sorry for that; I hope we can be friends".

"Its fine", he growls as he gets up from his chair, "I have to go".

"Wait, but we still have more than an hour left", I say.

"Yes but I have some important things I need to take care of", Scorpius says as he walks towards the door.

"Well, can I come?" I ask. Scorpius freezes. He was not expecting this, but I am a very unpredictable girl. For a moment neither of us says anything. I don't know what made me say that. I barely know this boy. I feel stupid again for being so awkward and creepy. He probably thinks I'm one of those really annoying clingy girls who have no life. At the same time, I want to go with him; I want to be around him more. I want to get to know him better. He'll probably say no though, he has the right to privacy.

"I have some stuff to do, Rose…" He says slowly and quietly without looking at me, "It's kind of personal…" Scorpius nervously fidgets with his car keys. I feel extremely embarrassed right now for making a fool out of myself. I feel like an idiot, obviously he won't take me with him. I feel like running out of the room and hiding my face. I sigh and sit back down on the sofa. I can feel Scorpius looking at me.

"Aren't you gonna leave?" He asks me.

"Well, I didn't know our meeting would be so short and I don't have a ride home for another hour", I say looking down at my watch. I lied to him. I had my cell phone with me and I could call my Mum to pick me up.

Scorpius sighs again, "Okay, I'll drive you home"

I look up at him; I don't want to accept his offer too quickly, "its okay, I'll just wait for my mum to pick me up".

"Rose, what are you gonna do here for an hour? Let me drive you home", He insists.

"You have stuff to do, I don't want to take up your time", I know the SCSY people told me not to be alone with Scorpius and I know I probably shouldn't get in the car with him, but this is Scorpius, I know him from school, and frankly, I don't think he'll do anything stupid.

"Weasley, can you just come before I get mad again", Scorpius says annoyed.

I frown, "Are you threatening me?"

"Yes", He says.

"Geez, Malfoy, you've got to learn to be more polite", I say as I get up, grab my bag and follow him out the door.

"How am I not being polite, I'm offering to drive you home", Scorpius says without expression. He doesn't walk with me. He walks really fast and I just slowly follow him. He gets to his car before me, and waits patiently for a couple seconds for me to get in.

"Your car is really nice", I say trying to make a conversation.

"Thanks", he mumbles. His car is actually very nice; it's a sleek black convertible. Of course being a Malfoy would mean he has to ride in style whether he likes it or not, but I think he does. I watch Scorpius drive. He drives really fast and a little unsafe, but it seems like he's really practiced. I wonder how his family ever agreed to him having a muggle object. I was so caught up in my thoughts when I realized I hadn't given Scorpius my home address. But he was going in the right direction.

"You know where I live?" I asked a bit creeped out.

"I've been to your house before", He says without expression. I try to remember when. He probably came by with Al before but that was like years ago.

"And you still remember?" I ask.

"Yes", he mumbles.

"How", I ask again.

"I don't know! I have a photographic memory or something!" He exclaims sarcastically in an annoyed tone. I don't say anything more. We're both quiet so I decide to turn on the radio to my favorite station.

"_Party Rock is in the house tonight! Everybody just have a good time! And we gon' make you lose your mind! Everybody just have a good time!" _I sing along softly while I stare out my window. Suddenly the music turns off. I look to see Scorpius had turned it off.

"Why'd you turn it off" I ask innocently.

"Because it's giving me a headache", He says rudely.

"You're kind of boring you know" I say as we reach my house. Scorpius doesn't respond to my last comment. He pulls the car in my drive way and I felt like he would drive it into my garage door, but he didn't.

"Thanks for the ride", I say as I get out of the car. I thought Scorpius would rush away as soon as I get out but he doesn't leave until I go inside and shut my front door.

"Anyone home?" I call out. I get no responseso I call my Mum and tell her that I'm already home.

"Already?" She asks.

"Yeah, the buddy had to go somewhere", I say.

"Oh okay, how did you get home?" Mum asks. I was lost at what to say. She would kill me if I told her I let the guy drive me home. Shit! I hadn't thought about this.

"I took the public bus", I say even though I have never done that before in my whole entire life. Mum hadn't heard.

"Oh I have to go, dear, we'll talk later when we get home", Mum says. I hear her talking to Hugo.

"Where are you by the way?"

"Hugo's dentist", Mum says before putting the phone down. I pray that she forgets how I got home by the time she gets back. I go to my room and take out the envelope Scorpius gave me from my purse and open it. I take out the letter first. It's written in beautiful and neat cursive hand writing

_Rose,_

_I'm sorry for saying those rude things to you on Sunday. I never wanted to say those things to you but I was having a bad day and I guess I took it out on you. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I never wanted to do that and I'm going to try to never do that again. I really hope you can forgive me. I don't know whether you really want to help me or you're just volunteering for a month but whatever it is, I don't really want the help. I don't know whether I need your help or not but I do know that just want to be on my own. It's not that I don't want you around or I hate your or something, because I don't hate you if that's what you thought. I just don't want anyone around. You and I have grown up in polar opposite worlds and I feel like you won't understand me. You're going to befriend me for a month and then you'll be gone when it's over so there really is no point in this. Once again I'm really sorry for my harsh words. I wouldn't mind being a little more acquainted with you but please don't expect too much from me._

_Scorpius Malfoy _

I can't believe he actually wrote this. It's like a whole different person. Someone with feelings must have written this, not Scorpius. I guess that proves how little I know him, and how much more I have to discover about him. Hugo was right. Scorpius feels like I won't understand him, he feels like I'm going to leave him at the end of the month. This letter made me realize how lonely Scorpius is. It makes me want to help him even more. I don't think I'm going to end it when SCSY is over. I want to stay friends with him. I don't know what it is about him that makes me want to become closer with him. I look in the envelope to find the card. It's handmade and very beautiful. There's beautiful calligraphy, decoration and images drawn on it. He made this? I open it gently. There is a picture of a teddy bear holding a rose.

_I'm sorry for what I said_

_Please forgive me, Rose_

It's really a very cute card but what I love the most is the fact that he drew roses everywhere, for my name. I had no idea Scorpius was such a good artist. There is so much I don't know about him. I don't think anyone has ever made me a card this beautiful. I'm going to truly cherish this because it's so pretty and full of effort. I lift my pillow and toss Eric's get-well-soon card aside. I'm putting this one there. Eric's card is store bought and with just his signature, but this one is hand made especially for me. I smile to myself; there is no way I'm leaving Scorpius alone.


	7. The Phone Rings for Rose

"Rose!" Mum called from the kitchen holding the phone, "It's for you!"

I was sitting in my room studying for my driver's test when Mum called my name to tell me someone had called for me which is odd, since my friends would just call on my cell.

"Coming!" I called back and ran downstairs. "Who is it?" I asked her when I got to the kitchen. Mum only smiled.

"Hello…" I say still unsure of who it is.

"Hello, Rose, It's Victoire", Victoire? Why is my cousin Victoire calling me?

"Hi, Victoire, how are you doing?" I ask nicely but still a little confused.

"I'm doing very well, thank you. I just have some exciting news to tell you", She says. What could my cousin Victoire that I'm not even super close with possibly have to tell me?

"Teddy and I are getting married! He proposed to me!" She said excitedly. And I'm supposed to be informed this by her personally because? "Teddy and I are planning our wedding for somewhere around mid to late august".

"Congradulations! I'm really happy for both of you!" I tried to sound genuinely excited even though I still don't understand why she called.

"Rose, I'm starting all the planning now and I've decided I want you to be one of my bridesmaids!" Victoire says. I almost drop the phone.

"You want me to be one of your bridesmaids?" I finally choke out. I can't believe I'm going to be a bridesmaid!

"Yup! Dom's going to be my maid of honor and you and Roxie are going to be my bridesmaids since you two girls are my closest female cousins" Victoire said. I always liked Victoire, she was always friendly and we occasionally had a good conversation, but I never knew she considered me to be one of her closer cousins. My cousin Roxie is the same age as me, and I'm really close with her, I wonder if she knows about this already.

"I'm really honored, Victoire. And I'm really excited", I say.

"So you accept", Victoire asks.

"Of course!" I squeal.

Thank you, Rose", Victoire says happily. I'm sure she's happy that I'm really enthusiastic about her wedding.

"Have you thought about a flower girl and a ring bearer?" I ask excitedly.

"Oh yes!" Victoire exclaims, "My Aunt Gabrielle's little 7-year-old is going to be the flower girl, and her 4 year old boy is going to be the ring bearer! They are gonna look so cute. I'm going to co-ordinate their oufits", Victoire clearly loves talking about her wedding.

"I'm really excited for your wedding, Victoire! If there's anything you need help with, let me know!" I offer.

"Thanks for the offer; I'm going to need all the help I can get! You and Dom are going to be my right-hand girls!" Victoire says. I feel like she really wants me and Dom to be closer. Not too happy about that but I'm just honored that she would trust me to help her with the most important day of her life. I feel really grown up and important and I think I can put up with Dominique for this.

"Oh I have to go; Teddy's calling me on the other line, I think he wants to talk about some wedding plans! I'll talk to you soon, Rose!" Victoire said excitedly.

"Bye!" I say and hang up the phone. I turn to Mum, "Mum, I'm going to be a bridesmaid!" I tell her.

"I know, Rosie! You're going to have a lot of fun, it's a great experience!" Mum says.

"But why are they getting married so quickly though", I ask Mum. They have less than two months to plan.

"Maybe they're just in love and want to get married", Mum says looking away. Odd…

I shrug the thought off. I still can't believe I'm going to be a bridesmaid. I'm going to wear a pretty dress and dance and help out with the wedding. I'm going to be with the bride as she gets ready and I'm going to greet guests and stand on the stage and everything! I decide that I'm going to be friendly to Dominique since we'll be working so closely together. I think Victoire's gonna make her be nice to me too.

For the next couple days, all I can do is draw bridesmaid dresses. Maybe if I like one I can get it made. But then again, Victoire might want to choose the dresses for her bridesmaids. I try to go back to studying for my driver's test but the thoughts of the wedding distract me. I finally get back to my drivers handbook. I had decided a while ago that I wanted to learn to drive, ever since I saw Scorpius drive his shiny black car.

Scorpius and I don't always go to SCSY like we should be on our designated days. In fact we haven't seen each other for a while. I'm beginning o think he doesn't want to continue but the more I think like that, the more I want to see him. His letter and card was really touching, and I want to talk to him about it. Or maybe I shouldn't, it might make him uncomfortable. On Friday night, after some drivers studying and some Television watching and surfing the net, I finally get ready for bed around 1:15 am. I have a bad habit of sleeping really late and waking up really late these days but its summer so I can do whatever I want. I was changing into my pyjamas when my cell phone started ringing. My ringtone volume is set on maximum so I dash to pick up the phone before Mum, Dad or Hugo wake up from the noise.

"Hello", I say in a hushed tone as I try to get my pj bottoms on with one hand, and hold my phone with the other.

"Hello, its Scorpius", Scorpius is calling me! At this hour! I didn't know Scorpius wanted to talk to me. This should be interesting. I wonder how he got my number.

"Hi, what's up?" I ask casually as I would ask any other friend.

"Nothing much…" He said. He didn't say anything for a couple seconds. I wonder why he called if he's not going to say anything.

"So, um, why did you, uh, call at this hour?" I ask.

"I don't know", he says. Neither of us says anything until he finally talks, "I haven't seen you for a while…"

"I know. And I thought you wanted it to be like that", I remind him. I'm trying to use a bit of reverse psychology on him. Mum always uses it on Dad and it works.

"I said I didn't want you to get too involved in my personal problems, but I also said it would be okay if we could be better acquainted…" Scorpius says slowly. I smile in glee as I feel my reverse psychology working. So he wants to see me and talk to me, and become friends.

"Oh yes, I remember", I say.

"So, um, you read the letter?" Scorpius asks.

"Yes I did", I say.

"So, um, you're not still, um, mad at me anymore, are you?" He sounds nervous.

"I was never mad at you", I say. I can hear Scorpius breathe a sigh of relief.

"Yes, but all the stuff I said…"

"How about we agree not to bring that up again? Let's just start over", I suggest cheerfully.

"Yes, okay", he said relieved. "D-did you, um, like the card?"

"The card you made is absolutely beautiful, Scorpius. Did you really make it yourself?" I ask him.

"Yeah", he replies. Although I can't see it, I am absolutely sure he's turning the same flushed red color again.

"You're a really good artist", I give him a well-deserved compliment.

"Am I?" He said sounding genuinely surprised.

"Yes! Did you not know that?" I am very surprised he isn't aware of his talent.

"No, I actually didn't". I can hear Scorpius's voice loosen up a bit as he gets more comfortable talking to me.

"So do you take lessons or did it just come to you?" I ask trying to get him deeper into a conversation while trying to lift his mood a little.

"No, I've just been doing it as a little kid and I sort of became good at it. No one ever really noticed it except you", Scorpius says honestly.

"So how's everything going with you? Anything new?" I ask him trying to talk to him about other things as well. I'm glad as ever that we're finally having a proper conversation.

"No, not really", he sighs, "how about you? Anything new with you?"

"Oh yes! Loads" If I want him to tell me about his life and himself, then I'm going to have to tell him a little bit about my life and myself, "my cousin Victoire's getting married!"

"That's…nice" I can tell he doesn't know what to say since he probably doesn't find the wedding interesting so I just do the talking.

"She asked me to be one of her bridesmaid's. Of course I said yes. I'm so excited! I've never really been to a wedding before, except when I was really young but those don't count because I can barely remember them. I'm so excited! It's going to be a lot of fun!"

"Um, Rose, I have to go", Scorpius says all of a sudden.

"Oh, okay", I say a bit disheartened. Did I bore him with my wedding talks or does he actually have to go?

"So, um, I'll talk to you soon…" He says more like a question.

"Yes, of course, bye", I reply.

"Bye" with that, he quickly hangs up.

I wonder why he called. To ask about the letter? I think he just called to make sure I wasn't still angry with him, since neither of us has talked since the day he gave me the letter. Maybe he wants to know what I think about the letter. Scorpius was worried if I was angry at him, I never thought he would even care if I'm angry at him or not. I'm really glad he wants to try and be friends. He said he wanted to become 'better acquainted'! That's improvement!

Scorpius doesn't call again for the next couple days. I'm not sure if I should go to SCSY this weekend again since neither of us has been going for a while and he didn't say if he wanted to me to come. I don't know whether I should just call him and ask if he's going or not. Since I don't have much to do this weekend, I decide to invite my friends over. On Friday morning, Emma and Bonnie come over; Priya couldn't come since she's still grounded for being so stupid.

"She's such an idiot, like why would she sneak out at night and go clubbing with 19-year-olds?" I exclaim.

"I know. She texted me all day yesterday, she's really miserable cause she can't go anywhere, or have any fun for a month", Bonnie informed us.

"Let's see if we can video chat with her", I say as I turn on my computer.

"I doubt she'll have her computer, her parent's probably took it away", Emma said.

"Come on, Em, this is Priya, she'll probably sneak this too", Bonnie said laughing. I sign in on my computer and just as Bonnie had predicted, there's Priya online. I message her.

"Hey!" We all say looking into the camera.

"Oh my gosh! I've been dying to talk to you!" Priya exclaims to all of us, "I'm having the worst summer of my life!"

"And it's your own fault", I say.

"I know!" Priya whines.

"Why the fuck would you sneak out at night and go clubbing with 19-year-olds, you're so fucking dumb?" Bonnie scolds her.

"I don't know, I just felt like being spontaneous, okay!" Priya tried to defend herself, "So what's going on with you guys?"

"Victoire is getting married and I'm going to be a bridesmaid!" I tell her excitedly. Actually I've told everyone I know like ten times.

"Thanks for sharing for the millionth time, Rose", Bonnie says annoyed. I roll my eyes at her.

"Domique's sister?" Priya asks.

"Yeah!" I respond enthusiastically.

"Dominique must have been pissed", Priya laughs.

"I knowww!" I say happily.

"So, Priya, are you gonna remain grounded for the carnival in two weeks", Emma ask.

"Carnival? What Carnival?" I ask.

"There's a carnival, the Saturday after next Saturday, it's in your area, Rose, a bunch of people from Hogwarts are gonna go", Emma explains.

"Oh my god! I wanna go too!" Priya exclaims excitedly.

"Priya you have to like beg your parents, I don't care what you do just, you have to come!" Bonnie says.

"How did I not know about this?" I ask more to myself..

"I'm surprised too; there are bright flyers all over your neighborhood, Rose", Bonnie tells me. I do remember seeing a brightly colored flyer on the bulletin board of SCSY, but I never really paid much attention to it.

"Merlin! My parents are home! Got to go bye, love you all", Priya quickly blows us a kiss and ends the video chat and goes offline.

"I hope she can come to the carnival", Emma says, "are you gonna go, Rose?"

"I don't know, I mean what are we gonna do at a muggle carnival?" I ask.

"I don't know, mess around, go cute-guy hunting, hang out with each other, have fun", Bonnie suggested.

"You're gonna go guy hunting? What about Louis?" I ask.

"Ehhh…" Bonnie doesn't know what to say. I wonder if she's serious about him. Any girl would love to be Louis's girlfriend. A lot of my friends have asked me about him.

"Bonnie, how did you ever manage to snag Louis Weasley?" Emma asks laughing.

"She probably just stripped for him", I suggest. Bonnie throws a cushion at me.

"I DID NOT! For your information he finds me quite attractive and sweet!" She defends herself. I have to admit, Bonnie is quite beautiful. She's got a very beach blond look, dirty blond hair and a sexy, tan body.

"So, how does he look naked, Bonbon", Emma teases her with her nickname.

"Smoking!" She jokes but I doubt she's seen him without clothes, "He's got a super sexy ass!"

"Ew!" I put my hands to my ears, "Guys, please, not in front of me, the dude's like my brother!" Emma and Bonnie laugh.

"I'm joking!" Bonnie assures me. "So did you manage to say more than two words to Eric yet, Rosie dear?"

"I've talked to him before", I yell in my defense.

"If you count choking and stuttering, like a broken tape recorder, as talking", Bonnie snorts.

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad, am I?" I stop to think. Now I'm worried. "Am I?" I demand. Bonnie and Emma laugh.

"She's just joking", Emma assures me. To be honest I haven't really thought about Eric much lately. I've been so caught up with the wedding and Al and Scorpius that Eric has taken a vacation from my brain. I continue to not think about him since today is probably one of the better days of my summer. My girls are here and we've just been talking and watching movies, eating junk food and just having fun.

"Well I have to get going", Bonnie says as she gets up, after a couple of hours.

"Already? Why?" I ask.

"I'm meeting up with Louis at the Leaky Cauldron", she tells us excitedly.

"I thought Louis is just 'ehhh'?" Emma says imitating her.

"Well, he wants to talk", Bonnie replies.

"Or shag", Emma sniggers.

"Were not shagging! I haven't even seen him without pants yet! Merlin!"

"But I'm sure you've dreamed about his—" Emma begins to say before I cut her off.

"Guys…I'm going to hurl if you keep saying these things! I really don't need a mental image of my cousin without pants. Please!" I beg them, as I get up to get some floo powder from our secret cupboard full of magic stuff for Bonnie. I hear Emma laughing.

"Thanks," Bonnie says as I put a bowl of floo powder on the table for her. "Today was a lot of fun, let's do this again sometime at my place, with Priya too", she suggests as she hugs us goodbye, "By, babes!"

"Bye", Emma and I say

Bonnie picks up some floo powder and steps over to the fireplace. "THE LEAKY CAULDRON!" And with that Bonnie leaves.

"So what do you wanna do now?" I ask Emma. She shrugs. "Let's go out for ice cream", I suggest.

"Can't, have a dentist appointment tomorrow. Gotta get some more fillings", she says pointing to her teeth.

"Em, you really need to cut down on the sweets or you'll lose all your teeth by graduation!" Emma has the biggest and most active sweet tooth ever, she absolutely loves anything and everything sugar, although, she's quite slender for someone who's always eating candy, cookies and dessert.

"I can't help it!" Emma says innocently and I roll my eyes. Suddenly my cell phone starts ringing and I check to see who's calling, but I don't pick up.

"Who is it?" Emma asks as she sees I don't pick up.

"Albus", I tell her.

"Rose, how long are you gonna ignore him. Just talk to him and get it over with", She insists.

"I'm not talking to him, Em, I thought he and I were best friends, I tell him so many things yet he hides things from me", I say determined not to talk to him. The phone rings once more and then stops. I turn on the television and a couple minutes later, Emma's phone starts ringing and it's Al. She being the Little Miss 'I'm-so-mature-I-do-things-the-adult-way' she is picks up her phone. Actually, I think this is just an excuse to talk to Al.

"Hello", she says when she picks up. I scowl at her and she rolls her eyes. "Hi, Albus! How are you?" Her exhaggerated cheerfulness is bothering me. "My summers been the usual, I've just been here and there, nothing special", Emma giggles and I wonder what Al is saying. "Oh", she says thoughtfully, "Um, okay…" He must have asked her to put her phone on speaker because that's exactly what she did.

"Hello", I hear Al say, "Emma, can you give Rose a message from me, please? I want you to tell Rose that I need to talk to her. I think I know why she's been ignoring me and I want to clear things up. Maybe the other girl sitting in the room with you can deliver the message as well", I can hear slight sarcasm in Al's voice. Emma turns off the speaker and says her goodbyes to Al while giggling again. Once she hangs up, she falls into hysteric laughter.

"That was so funny! He knew you're with me", she chokes out between laughing.

"How'd he find out?" I demand.

"He said he called Bonnie, and she told him we're here", Emma says gaining some control of herself.

"Ugh!" I groan in frustration. I guess I'm going to have to talk to him and get this over with once and for all. I also want to hear his explanation, "Can you text him and tell him I'll meet him tomorrow at Diagon Alley, please?" I ask Em.

"Sure. Now doesn't it feel good to talk about things?" Emma mocks me.

"Shut up!" I exclaim and we both laugh. But to be honest, I'm glad he called. I don't like being mad at people and I really want to hear what's going on. Maybe I'll find out something about Scorpius who's been always in the back of my mind lately.


	8. Discussing the Scorpius Issue

The next morning, I get up really early. Well, early for me since I usually wake up after 12:00 pm. I'm supposed to meet my cousin Al at Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor in Diagon Alley. Florean's has the best ice cream I have ever had. Uncle Harry really love's that place too, he says Mr. Florean was a really nice man and gave him free ice cream and helped him with his homework when he was our age. Mr. Fortescue is dead now but his nephew still runs the place. I'm still really tired and I have a massive headache as I try to get up and get dressed. I had been up all night thinking about what Al might have to say when it clicked me; maybe he's not talking about the Scorpius issue when he said he might know why I'm mad at him. Maybe he thinks it's something else. I mean, if Scorpius and Al don't talk anymore, then how could Al know Scorpius is my buddy and that I know things about him and his past? I sigh, I don't need to think about this anymore because my brain is very close to bursting.

"Hey", I hear Hugo say as he comes into my room while I tie my hair. "How come you're up so early?" He asks me.

"I have to go to Diagon Alley", I tell him.

"Why", he asks curiously.

"Meeting up with Al", I explain.

"Oh are you talking to him now?" He asks surprised as he plops down on my bed, "I thought you were mad at him about the Malfoy thing?"

"That's what we're going to talk about", I tell him, since he already knows what's going on.

"I think that's smart, Rose. You'll hear what he has to say".

"Thanks, my wise grandfather", I joke. Hugo chuckles.

"Oh speaking of Diagon Alley, can I come with you, I need to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies", He says hopefully.

"Why?" I ask as I get my shoes out.

"I've got to get broomstick handle polish; my wood is getting a little worn out", he says. "Can you look at it for me please, Rose?" After my dad, I'm the all-things-quidditch expert in my house.

"Where's Dad?" I ask. It's Saturday and everyone should be at home but I don't hear anyone.

"Emergency call-in at the ministry", Hugo says, "So can you look at it?"

"Yes of course, but go get it quickly because I have to be leaving soon", I say. I don't really want to bring Hugo along since I don't want him to find out too much about Scorpius. I know some of Scorpius's past is unstable and I think Al might want to talk about that. If Hugo hears about the drugs or even something worse, he'll go straight to my parents who'll forbid me to see Scorpius. I go downstairs and Hugo is there waiting for me with his broomstick.

"Hmmm", I say as I inspect it, "I think it's mainly dirt that's just deposited on the wood", I say even I think it could use a little polish, "I don't think you really need to polish it since you still want a little roughness for grip".

"Are you sure?" Hugo asked.

"Yes, you should probably wipe it down", I suggested. Hugo looked a little unsure.

I sighed, "Wipe it down and I'll bring you some of the polish".

"Thanks!" Hugo didn't notice that I don't want to bring him along so he went into the garage happily to clean his broomstick. Sometimes I felt guilty because he's so innocent…usually.

I go into the kitchen to see if my Mum's there, but she isn't. "Hey, Hugo", I call out.

"Yeah?" He says running in.

"Where's, Mum?" I ask him.

"She's in London with Victoire doing some stuff for the wedding", Hugo tells me. That's odd; I would think Victoire would do all the wedding errands with Aunt Fleur.

"Would you happen to know why Mum's there, I mean if they're shopping for a dress, wouldn't she go with her Mum?" I ask Hugo as I put my phone and wand in my purse.

"I don't know exactly what they have to do but I think Aunt Fleur and Victoire wanted Mum's help in getting a muggle hall and finding a muggle wedding planner and stuff like that, I think all three of them are out together", Hugo informed me. Sometimes my brother seems to know everything.

"How do you know?"

"She was on the phone with them while I was having my breakfast", He says. I guess he's really observant and intelligent. Must've got it from Mum.

"Are you gonna be fine alone? I'm not sure when I'll be back?" I'm unsure whether I should leave him alone since I don't know when I'll be back, and I can't leave him by himself for too long.

"Yeah I'll be fine go ahead", he assures me. If I was going for an hour or something, I would have left him but I don't know when I'll be back so if I leave him alone for too long, Mum and Dad would kill me since he is the 'baby of the house', even though he's almost fourteen.

"Why don't you go to Aunt Ginny's place? You can play quidditch with Lily and James", I suggest.

"Why can't I just stay home? I'm almost 14, I'm not a little kid anymore", Hugo said annoyed knowing what I'm thinking.

"Because I don't know when I'll be back, I could be gone for hours", I explain.

"But I'll be fine", He insisted, "I just wanna stay home and fix my broomstick".

"Aunt Ginny can help you with your broomstick. She knows about that stuff more than Dad".

"What if she doesn't have the polish?"

"That's impossible", I exclaim. It really is impossible; the whole family is like a quidditch league.

"But—" he began.

"Hugo, please stop arguing. I'm calling Aunt Ginny, get dressed and grab your wand and broomstick and whatever else you need". I say as I dial the number to Potter Manor. I hear Hugo stomp upstairs muttering under his breath, probably cursing me.

"Always parenting me! Have your own kids and leave me alone", I hear him grumble.

"Hello, Aunt Ginny?" I say when I female voice receives the phone call.

"No, it's Lily", Merlin, she's beginning to sound like her Mum more and more.

"Hi Lily, its Rose, How are you?"

"Oh hi, Rose, I'm good. You?" She says happily.

"I'm okay. Is your Mum or Dad there?" I ask.

"Yeah wait, Dad's here", she says before she calls out Uncle Harry's name.

"Hello", Uncle Harry says as he gets on the phone.

"Hi Uncle Harry, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor?" I ask.

"Yes, of course. Is everything alright?" He asks me a little concerned.

"Everything's fine. I was just wondering if Hugo could spend the day with you today. I have to go out and I don't know when I'll be back. Dad has an emergency shift at the Ministry and Mum's out helping Victoire with some Muggle stuff for the wedding", I explain.

"Yes of course, send him over. The boys are here practicing quidditch. Hugo will have fun with them", Uncle Harry says kindly.

"Thanks so much, Uncle Harry!" I grasp Hugo's arm and some floo powder and floo us to Potter Manor, since I don't trust Hugo to floo himself there or he might go somewhere else since he's mad at me, and then I'll have to go looking for him. The Potters have a flooing Fireplace on their large front porch since Aunt Ginny doesn't like people randomly popping in the living room and leaving a mess of ashes on the carpet, but I know it's just a cover story because a long time ago, my weird Aunt Audrey had flood in the living room once when Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry were…you know. I heard Aunt Ginny tell Mum this angrily on the phone when I was really little. Ever since, they put a separate fireplace on the porch and blocked off the one in the living room, very smart in my opinion. Hugo and I dust off the ashes from our clothes and I ring the doorbell.

"Stop scowling, Hugo", I scold him. Sometimes I can't help it, I parent him; Dad says I'm just like my mum but Mum says I'm just like my Dad. I've stopped believing either side and have come to the conclusion that I am my own unique person. Just then, the door opens and to my pleasant surprise, Eric is the one opening it.

"H-hi", I nervously say. He looks as handsome as ever in his sports attire that shows off his sexy figure.

"Hey, Rosie!" Eric greets me with a short quick hug. I almost faint at Eric's touch. He smells like musky after shave or cologne, can't really tell which but it smell very good. "Hi Hugo", He says ruffling Hugo's hair causing Hugo to make a face. Aunt Ginny and Lily come to the door.

"Rose!" Lily squeals as she pounces on me. I don't lose my balance since she's a tiny little thing for a 14-year-old.

"Hi, Lils!" I hug her back but I keep looking at Eric.

"Come inside", Aunt Ginny says. I step inside, and just as Uncle Harry said, James's buddies were here. Fred and Louis were lounging on the sofa playing catch with the snitch, with two other boys. One I recognized as Ben Sloper, 7th year Gryffindor. He's had a big crush on Dominique for 2 years but she never got distracted from Josh McLaggen to notice him. Josh and I had only been together for a week and a half before we had to end it since my parents didn't approve. I always thought it was because he's older than me by two years and they were afraid he'd take advantage of me or something, but now that I think back to it, I don't know why Dad hated him so much and why Mum was really uneasy about him before they even got to know him. Although, I'm happy now that they didn't let me go out with him. I still liked him even after but Dominique stole him from me only 4 days after our break up. It's her loss though because Josh isn't that great of a guy. I would choose Ben over him any day. The other boy is Donny Thomas, he's in 6th year like me and Louis, and best friends with Louis. He's kind of cute and really funny, he's dating a friend of mine, Amanda Jordan, who's in my year. On another note, I'm surprised Louis is here, I would think he'd spend Saturday with Bonnie.

"Hi guys!" I say as I greet them.

"Hi", they all say lazily like boys usually do.

"Stay for lunch, Rose?" Uncle Harry asks as he gets up from his desk where he's doing some work.

"I wish I could but I really have to get going", I say truthfully because I wish I could stay and hang out with Eric.

"You're going?" Lily's face falls.

"I'm sorry, I have to run some errands, but I'll stop by tonight", I promise her but I regret it immediately. If my meeting with Al doesn't go well, then, it would be really awkward. But I felt bad since Lily looked sad. I wonder if Al's still here…

"So where's, Al, I want to say hi to him?" I ask casually. I want to know if he left already. I'm assuming he didn't tell his parents about what's going on. Hugo looks at me for a second and looks away.

"Oh Al's seeing a friend in Diagon Alley today", Aunt Ginny explains. Since we can't get any privacy in either of our homes, Al and I are meeting outside and if our parents found out, then they would get really nosy and bother us to tell them what we have to talk about that we can't say in the house.

"Well I should get going now", I say looking at my watch. I turn around and see James come out of the washroom.

"Hi, James. Bye, James" I chuckle. He just looks confused, as Aunt Ginny let's me out.

"Do stop by tonight, Rose", Aunt Ginny says as she gives me a hug.

"I will. Take care".

"Bye". I wait till Aunt Ginny shuts the door completely before I floo to the Leaky Cauldron. The last thing I need is her putting two and two together. I pick up some of the floo powder placed on the mantle and floo to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Hi, Tom, Hi Hannah!" I greet the elderly, but very friendly former bar tender. He's sitting on one of the tables doing some paperwork with Hannah, a family friend of ours. She's married to my Herbology teacher Neville who Hugo, James, Al, Lily, and I refer to as Uncle Neville since he's very close with our two families.

"Good afternoon, Rose!" Hannah greets me back.

"Hello, Rose Hermione Weasley!" He looks up greets me back. I've met Tom so many times before and I've talked to him many times but he always insists on calling me by my full name. I asked him once why he does that and he said he wants me to be proud of my name and my parents. I know they're veterans of the 2nd Wizarding War, but still, it's strange. I make my way to the back and into the cellar where the secret passageway to Diagon Alley is located. Just then, I remember to call my Mum and inform her about me and Hugo. I tell her I'm at Emma's house and I dropped Hugo off at the Potters'. Mum is pleased that I didn't leave Hugo home by himself. I personally think Mum and Dad spoil Hugo, and treat him like a little kid, I felt bad for making him go to the Potter's even though I know he'd be perfectly fine at home but Mum and Dad set the rules and call the shots. Once I hang up, I tap the combination of the stones and the wall divides making a passage for me to pass through. Just then I get a text from Al who's asking where I am. I reply that I'm almost there before I enter Diagon Alley where I'll lose connection.

I walk down the beautiful street as I look around at people shopping and dining and just flying around. Diagon Alley is on very steep hills so the street is very up and down which is my favorite part about it. I finally reach Florean's but I don't see Al there. I go inside to see if he's there, but he isn't. I wait for a couple minutes.

"Rose?" I turn around as I hear a voice call me from behind.

"Al, hi", I greet him with no expression.

"Hi", He says quietly, noticing the hint of dryness in my tone.

"I thought you said you were waiting here", I say coldly.

"Yeah, I just took a walk, while I waited for you", He says. I roll my eyes, as I go outside and take a seat on the table farthest from the little shop with a bright orange and blue umbrella. Al follows me out and takes a seat across from me.

Neither of us says anything for a minute, but just when Al opens his mouth to speak, we hear someone call out our names.

"Albus! Rose!" We look to see a friend from Hogwarts coming towards us. It's the Hufflepuff prefect Jake Macmillan, wearing a Fortescue t-shirt, and a little red and white apron around his waist. I remember having night patrolling shifts with him last year. He used to talk to me about girls and ask for advice. I remember kissing him last November when he told me he had never kissed a girl before, and is embarrassed by his lack of experience. He thought I had a crush on him afterwards but I cleared that up by telling him I only kissed him to help him, which is the truth. He was kind of sad but before the Christmas break I got Bonnie to set him up with Amelia Finch-Fletchley, another Hufflepuff in our year, and they hit it off great.

"Hello, Albus. Hello, Rose", he beams at us.

"Hi, Jake!" I greet him cheerfully, "How are you doing? How's your summer?"

"Summer's been good. I've got a summer Job here" He tells us.

"How's Amelia?" I ask him.

"She's tanning away in Florida". Lucky girl, her parent's both work at Gringotts and her Mum, Susan, inherited a lot of money from her childless aunt so Amelia's really rich, well that's what I've heard anyway.

"I wish I was tanning away in Florida", I say laughing. Al smiles but doesn't say much.

"How's your summer been, Rose?" He asks.

"Boring!" I say. Jake laughs.

"So can I get you guys something?" He asks as he takes out a pen and a pad from the little pocket in his little apron.

"I'll have a chocolate cone, thank you", I tell him. He turns to Al.

"Would you like something Al?" Jake asks cheerfully.

"I'll, um, I'll just have the same", Al says without thinking.

"Alright-y! Two chocolate cones coming up!" Jake writes our order on his pad of paper and turns around to go back into the little shop. We watch Jake leave and neither of us says anything for a minute.

"So…" I say turning to look at Al.

Al sighs, "You haven't answered any of my calls". I should salute him for starting the conversation at the most perfect place.

"Al, I was mad", I say, even though it's a given fact.

"But why, Rose?"

"Al, you know why?" I remind him. Why is he being so stupid?

Al sighs again, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you Scorpius is at SCSY. I only found out recently, myself". Lie!

"You're lying", I accuse him, "You knew before".

"I swear I didn't!" he defends himself.

"Al, why didn't you tell me you two aren't friends anymore?" I ask him.

"I don't know, I just didn't find it important", Al looks away.

Just then, we look up to see Jake coming towards us with two ice cream cones. I take out my cash from my purse, and as I'm about to hand him my money Al hands him some for both of us.

"Al its fine", I say.

"When you take a lady out for ice cream, you should never let her pay", Al winks at me. I can't help but smile because he's such a gentleman like his Dad.

"Thank you", I say to Al.

"Enjoy your ice cream!" Jake says and leaves. I turn to Al.

"Al…" I say. He looks at me, "You never told me he's troubled. Why didn't you tell me he was into drugs or that he has an unstable family?"

"Rose, I thought you would figure it out that he's not on best terms with his family. He was usually at my place during the Christmas holidays and most of summer". I try to remember back to those times. I was so absorbed in my crush on him that I never noticed.

"Al, what happened between you and him? Why aren't you friends anymore?" I ask.

"Rose, when I found out what Scorpius was doing, I didn't want to be friends with him anymore. As a third-year, I thought I was doing the best thing. Rose I was shocked that he began this at 14 years old. I was afraid because I was still young and didn't want to be involved", Al explains.

"Then why couldn't you tell me these things?" I asked a little bit hurt.

"Because I was scared. I didn't know whether I should tell someone and I didn't want to get him in trouble. Plus you were so obsessed with him, you would have wanted to help him and I thought it would be best for you if you didn't get involved either".

"Al, you should have talked to me", I say. I don't feel as mad or sad anymore because, deep down, I know I would have done the same.

"And I was looking for Scorpius when I didn't go into the director's office with you at SCSY. I wanted to talk to him, see how he's doing, but I couldn't find him", Al explains. Now it makes sense as I remember.

"I feel so bad for him, you know, I feel like he feels unloved", I tell Al.

"Yeah" he sighs, "me too, I've recently tried to contact him".

"Did you talk to him?" I ask and take a lick into my ice cream.

"No, his grandfather's just like 'don't ever call again, he's busy'" Albus imitates the man.

"How rude", I exclaim. Maybe the Malfoys are just rude people. Maybe that's why Scorpius doesn't like his family.

"His grandmother's really nice though. She loves Scorpius to death", Al tells me.

"Well, I'm happy he has someone to love him". I feel relieved and happier when I hear there is someone who loves Scorpius. My mood perks up a little.

"You're really into finding happiness for him, aren't you?" Al smiles at me. I have no idea why but Al is absolutely right.

"Yeah, I guess I am. I don't know why though. Scorpius tries to push me away, but the more he does, the more I want to get closer to him. I want to know more about him", I explain my feelings. I've been thinking about this for the past couple days but I didn't really know who to share it with. Al is the perfect person, since he knows me so well and he knows Scorpius really well too.

"Is it possible that you still have feelings for him, Rosie", Al teases me.

I don't blush or giggle. "No, I don't. I know that much for sure, but it's just something about him that makes me want to be around him more and discover more about him".

"I guess it's because he's so closed off from everyone", Al says as we eat our ice cream, both of us in a better mood, "He's one of those people who hides themselves very well, and as human nature would have it, the more he hides about himself, his feelings and thoughts, the more we want to dig up those things because we want to know what he is thinking. It's like trying to find a treasure chest when we don't even know if it'll have anything in it, but the more we don't know the more we want to find it, just because we're so damn curious".

I chuckle, "Quite the psychologist, aren't we, Dr. Potter?" I tease Al, "I completely agree with you about the curiosity thing but I feel like it doesn't apply in this case. Sure I'm curious about him, but I want to help him more. For me it's more of the case where I want to _find him_ as opposed to _find out about him_. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, kind of…" Al said.

"Did you know he's a really good artist?" I tell Al excitedly.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, he was always the better artist than me and the guys. He used to draw all my diagrams and stuff for homework. I never really watched his skills develop though", Al shrugs.

"I saw a really nice card he made. It was so perfect". Call me a hypocrite but I don't think I want to tell Al about the fight I had with Scorpius. It was pointless and I just want to bury it, since it hurts me when I think about what he said about me and my family. Al and I don't say anything as we hurry to finish our ice cream before it melts.

"So, does Emma still like me?" Al asks once he finishes the scoop and works on the cone.

"Random, much?" I exclaim, "Yeah, she thinks you're a sexy beast", I laugh. I'm not being sarcastic, she actually does. Al blushes but laughs it off. "Do you like her?" I ask him. I'm a little more serious now because if Al isn't interested in Emma, then I could talk to her and try to get her to move on.

"Not really…" Al says, but I think he's a little unsure, "I like Arielle". Arielle is Hannah and Uncle Neville's daughter. We're really good friends with their kids since we see them a lot, even outside of school since our families are close friends. Arielle is a year below us but her brother Nick is in our year in gryffindor. She's a really cute girl with super curly long hair. Not the frizzy kind of curly but the soft curly that you would want to touch. I think she's gorgeous even though she wairs glasses and has cute freckles. She's one of your geeky-but-really-cute and pretty girls who are always nice and friendly. I can see why Al would go for her. She's a nice person, just like him.

"I like her too. And we've known her since forever".

"Yeah. Plus, I tutored her last term in DADA. That's when I really got to know her well. She was really impressed that I already know the patronus charm".

I laugh, "Showing off?"

"Not a bit", Al smiles cunningly, like a true Slytherin.

"Well, I know Emma will be upset", I say. Although I'm happy for Al, I'm kind of sad for Emma.

"Well I wouldn't mind being her friend. But I just don't really feel any attraction towards her", Al explains.

"Do you find her attractive", I ask.

"I don't know…I mean she's good looking but I don't ever pay attention to her looks" Al says as he furrows his eyebrows trying to think, "But Bonnie, man, she's smoking hot. I wouldn't mind sharing a night with her". I gasp as I throw my crumpled napkin at Al. The thing I said about Al being a nice guy, scratch that.

"Al!" I laugh.

"I'm joking!" Al quickly says. I smile because I know he's joking, If James was here saying this, or even Fred, I would know they aren't joking, but Al is Al, he's nice and sweet and faithful and honest. Once we finish our ice cream, we go inside and say goodbye to Jake.

"Leaving, already?" He asks.

"Yeah, we have to get going, got some stuff to do", I explain.

"Okay! Well it was nice seeing you both. Hope to see you soon!"

"Hey, will you be going to the carnival?" I ask him just as I remember the carnival.

"I've heard about it, but I don't know if I should go, I mean it's a muggle carnival", Jake says.

"You should go; a lot of people from Hogwarts are going. Might get to see some friends too", I say cheerfully.

"When is it?" He asks.

"Two weeks from today" I reply.

"Amelia will be back by then! Maybe I'll take her, could be fun!" He says. I'm sure the thought of his girlfriend just lights him up. After we say our goodbyes, Al and I head out. I remember to go to the Quidditch store and get Hugo the broomstick handle polish.

"I need to get some new gloves too", Al remembers as we enter the shop. I get the polish and Al gets some gloves for himself and some broomstick personalizing stickers for Lily, since she's all about the girly decorations. Once we make our purchases we head back to the Leaky Cauldron taking a different and shorter route. I don't usually take this route when I'm alone since it passes by Knockturn Alley and Knockturn Alley creep's me out a bit. Of course dark objects haven't been sold there for around 2 decades so now it's just a hub for creepy people that do drugs and drink and use the imperius curse on young girls passing by alone, to make them do who-knows-what. The Ministry's always trying to clear them out but they just keep coming back. I know Al can tell that I'm uncomfortable walking here so he grabs my arm and pull me to his other side so now he's closer to the alley, not me. I sigh of relief once we pass it. But I can still see creepy people staring and laughing at us evilly.

We finally reach the Leaky Cauldron and go back to the muggle world. "Hello, there", Tom greets us again. He does the same name thing with Al who also finds it a bit strange.

"Come over to my place", Al orders as we take some floo powder.

"Yeah, I'll come", I say hoping Eric is still there. I tell him about this morning and how Hugo's there and I promised Lily I'd come and that I want to see Eric, since Al knows about my crush. We decided we'd tell Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry that we saw each other at Diagon Alley so we just hung out.

"Hello!" Al calls out as we enter the house when we get there. No one replies but a couple seconds later Lily comes running down.

"Hi!" She says, "You guys are back!"

"Yeah, where is everybody?" Al asks as we take a seat on the couches.

"Dad, James, Louis, Fred, Hugo, Eric, Ben, and Donny are outside playing quidditch, and Mum and I are just watching the television", Lily says.

"Why aren't you playing with them, Lily? You should play too; it's a good opportunity to help you develop your skills", I suggested. Lily shrugs and goes back upstairs; I know she doesn't like playing with the boys since they get to serious, she usually just plays with Al and me, or her parents. Just then Aunt Ginny comes downstairs.

"Hello", she says warmly to us, "How's your friend, Albus?" She asks.

"He's good…"Al says remembering that he told his parents he was seeing a friend at Diagon Alley.

"And did you get your stuff done, Dear" she asks me.

"Yes, I did", I say politely.

"Al, Damien, and Mark came by today", Aunt Ginny says as she makes herself some coffee. Damien Zabini is another Slytherin in our year. He's the classic tall, dark, and handsome bloke. He's got fairly light skin, not too light though, but very dark eyes and hair. I don't really know him that well because around people, Damien is usually quiet and mysterious but I'm sure around his friends he must be different. Mark Pucey is another one of Al's friends who's also in our year. He's really annoying in my opinion because he's obsessed with girls. Sometimes he'll say the most perverted things and he'll hit on every girl who talks to him, he thinks he's funny but he's not. However, he's really nice once you go beneath the surface. Lance Vaisey is another bloke in Al's group of friends but I don't know him that well except that he and Al used to hate each other but somehow became friends all of a sudden at the end of 4th year. For some reason my parents and my aunts and uncles are usually surprised by Al's friendships with Slytherins. I have no idea why though. They say during their days at Hogwarts there was always a lot of animosity between the Slytherins and the rest of the houses and a lot of people from that house went bad. I find it all ridiculous though since Al is in Slytherin as well and the people from Slytherin house are really nice and friendly, well the ones that I talk to anyway.

"What did you say to them?" Al asks his mum who takes a seat next to me on the sofa.

"I told them you were out with a friend" Aunt Ginny said, "And that they are welcome to come by later, and I think they will be coming". It was around 4 in the afternoon when the back door burst open and the boys started filing in and yelling at each other.

"You're so dumb, Donny, how could you not see that!" I hear James say as he comes in angrily.

"Yeah well if you'd stop screaming at everyone, man, we might be able to think", Eric yelled at James.

"Boys!" Uncle Harry yelled but none of them listened to him. I think he's been trying to calm everyone down for a while and is just tired now because he sighs and plops down on the couch next to Aunt Ginny.

"Eric, you shouldn't even talk, you kept cursing at who knows who's mother!" Louis accused.

"I was not!" Eric defended himself. Of course I don't believe Louis, my Eric won't say anything rude to people, he's just too sweet. And if he did, I'm sure he had a good excuse. "I was the only one trying to calm everyone down!" Eric says and I hear Fred and Ben snort.

Hugo is the only one quiet as he comes in. He looks flushed, sweaty and tired and I'm assuming the boys made him work hard. He takes a seat next to Uncle Harry who puts an arm around him.

"The only boy who managed to stay sane on the pitch", Uncle Harry tells us, while the rest of them just fall on the carpet and the chairs from exhaustion.

Aunt Ginny laughs, "Thank god he's like his mother. Do you remember Ron when we used to play quidditch at the Burrow? The game would never conclude because it would just end up in a fight and we'd all storm off inside". Aunt Ginny remembers. Unfortunately, Dad is still like that today.

"Rose!" James says as he gives me a big hug.

"Ew, James, you're all sweaty, get off me!" I squeal.

"I'm sorry but I'm really glad to finally be in the presence of someone who actually knows how to play quidditch and keep the quaffle out of the goal post" He says as he sits next to me.

"Whatever, man, you're a douche!" Ben says. I'm assuming he was keeping in the match.

"James! It's not the end of the world!" Aunt Ginny scolds him.

"Mum, how would you know?" James said.

"Of course", Aunt Ginny rolls her eyes, "You're right, it's not like I played quidditch all throughout school and on the HolyHead Harpies for 4 years", she says sarcastically. Al and I laugh until Al's phone rings and he leaves to the other room to receive it. James and the boys go back to talking amongst themselves.

"Mum, can my friends sleep over tonight?" Al asks as he pops his head in the door.

"Sure, why not, we're going to have the house full tonight, anyways", Aunt Ginny says. Al resumes to his conversation with his friends. Aunt Ginny turns to me, "Rose, you and Hugo are also welcome to sleepover if you like".

"I've got to see my dentist again tomorrow", Hugo says immediately. I have no idea whether that's the truth or he's just fibbing since Hugo doesn't like sleeping over anywhere. Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry don't notice anything about his quick response.

"Is Rose sleeping over?" Lily yells as she comes running down the stairs. Aunt Ginny and I laugh.

"I'll have to ask my parents", I say.

"Oh, Rose! Please stay over; we'll have so much fun!" Lily insists. I call my Mum who says it's alright. So I floo back home with Hugo to get my pajamas, toothbrush and other things I need. I really want to stay mainly because of Eric, but I want to spend more time with Lily. Aunt Ginny said Lily's a little lonely sometimes with older brothers, even though she's the apple of both James and Al's eyes; she sometimes likes to have a girl her age around that she can relate too. And I'm her favorite cousin. Mum's preparing dinner while Dad's in his office when we get home. Hugo goes straight to his room and I explain my plans to Mum, who is fine with it. I say goodbye to both my parents and as I'm about to leave for Aunt Ginny's place, Mum reminds me.

"Be back early tomorrow, Rose, you have to go to SCSY".


	9. She's Just One of the Guys

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know that in chapter 7 I said Roxanne is the same age as Rose. Correction: Roxanne is a year younger than Rose. This is a very long chapter, more than 1000 words, and it's basically about Rose's friendships and the personalities of some of the people that will play larger roles later on. Also, please leave reviews and comments, it'll really help me get motivated to write more and I really need to hear your thoughts, likes, dislikes, constructive criticism and such. So please leave a review and I'll leave you nice and long chapters **

"So, what's new?" I ask Lily as we sit in her bedroom. I had come back to the manor after getting my stuff and put them in Lily's room since I'm assuming I'm sleeping in here tonight. Lily's room is very big and beautiful, like the rest of the manor. It has very light and pastel salmon colored walls and dark mahogany furniture. Whenever I stay here, I usually sleep with her on her bed since it's so big and we like to talk all night.

"Nothing much, I like someone though", I tell her. Lily squeals and jumps off the chair that she was sitting on and onto the bed where I'm sitting.

"Who is it?" She asks me excitedly, "Is he from school? What house is he in? What's his name?" Lily asks me.

I laugh, "Calm down! I'll tell you but you can't tell anyone", I say half seriously.

"I promise I won't, Rose. Have I ever told anyone your secrets?"

I have to hand it to her; she never spills the beans, especially my beans. "Okay, its Eric Wood", I say as I blush.

Lily stares at me with her mouth hanging open. "Eric! _Our_ Eric?" She finally manages to say.

"Yes", I giggle. Lily giggles too.

"Oh, he's really cute! You'd make such a good couple!" She says. She's so positive all the time and tells me what I want to hear which makes me love her so much, even though it's also the reason why I don't trust her opinion a lot of the times.

"I hope so", I say. "So do you like anyone other than that Ravenclaw McDougal?" I ask her hopefully.

"No, Rose, I love him so much, I can't get over him", Lily whines.

"Oh come on, Lily, you know you don't _love_ him. You barely know him!" I say. That girl is such a dreamer.

"I do know him, Rose, and we talk all the time", Lily insisted.

"Yes but that's not love Lily, you're only 14, it takes a lot of experience to know what love even is", I try my best to explain.

"Have you ever been in love?" She asks me.

"No!" I can't believe she's asking me this. How could I possibly have fallen in love, I'm only 16 and I've only had a couple boyfriends before. I sigh, "Lily, you should probably just continue being friends with Jacob, maybe once you're a little bit older, you guys can get serious. And if he's the right one then he'll wait for you".

"But I don't want to wait!" Lily whines again. Just then Aunt Ginny calls us down.

"Girls, could you help me in the kitchen please?" she asks us. The table is enlarged since there are 12 people eating today. Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry already had dinner so James and his five friends, Al and his 3 friends, and Lily and I are having dinner together in the back garden since the weather's really nice and cool. Lily and I help take all the plates, cutlery, water, drinks, and everything else we might need outside to the large picnic table. It sort of reminds me of the Burrow when the whole family gathers. I see James and Al barbequing, while Fred, Louis, Donny and Lance lounge on the garden chairs with a can of pop in their hands as they talk and laugh on this fine summer evening. Al's friends, Mark and Damien, had also arrived like Aunt Ginny had said earlier, and Lance had come as well. I noticed Damien searching the cooler for a drink while Ben and Mark were flying around on their broomsticks playing with the snitch. I look around for Eric who seems to be missing from the crowd. I wonder where he could be. If he's inside, then I'm going back in there. Or maybe he's just in the washroom and will come out soon. I was so absorbed in my thoughts of Eric and where he could be when I didn't notice that Mark had spotted me. He sped towards me at the speed of light but turned just when he reached me, however, I screamed because I thought he would crash into me. I fell backwards into Damien who was walking behind me towards the garden chairs with a full can of cola in his hand. The cold cola spilled all over my pretty yellow summer dress. The boys had apparently seen this and were trying to hold their laughter now and asking me if I'm okay, except Mark who fell in hysterics. Stupid boy!

"Mark you are so fucking stupid!" I yell at him because I know he did this on purpose just to bother me. Lily who had gone back in shortly came running out when she heard the crash and tries to help me but she keeps her distance because she knows I'm furious.

Al comes rushing towards me. "Are you okay?" He asks.

I ignore Al and turn to Mark, "You're such a blundering idiot! Why would you do that?" I slap him hard across the arm. Mark yelps in pain.

"But, Rose, I was just saying hello to you!" He says in a fake innocent voice as he rubs his arm, "I haven't seen that gorgeous face of yours for such a long time. I missed you".

"Get away from me!" I yell and yank my hand away when he tries to help me up.

"Rose, are you okay!" Al asks again.

"I'm fine!" I snap at him, "Except I'm covered in cola!"

"Um, Rose, you're um, you're crushing Damien", Al says nervously pointing to Damien on who's stomach I was still sitting on.

"Oh Merlin!" I gasp as I jump up. "Damien, I'm so sorry!"

"Not a problem", He chokes out. I help him up.

"Ugh!" I yell in frustration looking at my dress. "I'M ALL STICKY NOW AND IT'S YOUR FAULT!" I slap Mark's arm again on the same spot.

"Ouch! You've got to stop doing that, woman!"

"I'm sticky too!" Damien says annoyed.

"Man, you're such as asshole!" Ben yells to Mark from where he's sitting.

"Poor Damien, his intestines are probably flat now!" Fred sniggers.

"Are you calling me fat?" I yell at him.

"No! Where did you get that from?" Fred asks bewildered.

"Ah", Mark sighs, "women and their insecurities…" I slap him again at the same spot.

"Okay seriously. It's beginning to hurt now", he presses on his bruise.

"Good!" I yell.

"Mark! My shirt is stained!" Damien says frustrated. It's the first time I've seen him with such an expression.

"I'm sorry guys, but Rose tempts me!" Mark tries to defend himself. I glare at him.

"Okay! Who invited this kid?" James yells out as he points at Mark with the spatula.

"Rose, come on, you can take a shower in my bathroom and I'll put your clothes in the wash", Lily suggests. That doesn't seem like a bad idea and I follow her towards the door.

"Mmm…Can I join you, Rosie?" Mark asks. I turn around but Lily grabs my arm before I can rush over to him and jinx him. I really wish I was 17 right now so I could hex him into oblivion.

"How about me? I've got to change too", Damien adds in.

"Take one of my shirts", Al suggested.

"I'll take you two to the bathrooms", Lily offers.

"Ooooh! Rose and Damien, off to the showers! Lucky man, lucky man!" Mark sniggers. I turn around to yell at him but I see that Ben had thrown the snitch at him and it him on the back of his head. Mark whimpered in pain as he clutched the bump, while the rest of them laughed.

Damien and I followed Lily upstairs where he went into Al's room to change and I went to Lily's. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny had left to go to the cinema so Lily gave me a fresh towel and I went into her bathroom to take off my dirty clothes. I gave them to Lily who got James to charm them to wash themselves while I enjoyed a nice hot shower. I had to get back at Mark and make him pay for embarrassing me. Maybe I could put a gnome in his pants tonight as he sleeps. Or I could put dung in his food or something…who am I kidding, I'm not good with revenge. Once I finished taking a shower, I wrap the towel around my chest and leave the bathroom. I look for my clothes which I assumed would be lying on the bed but they aren't here. I look in Lily's closet thinking maybe she hung them up, but they aren't there either. I peek out Lily's bedroom door and call her name incase she's still in the house but I get no reply. Why does this house have to be so damn big? Shit! She must be outside, I realize. I pray that everyone is still outside as I tiptoe to the laundry room. My clothes are washed but they are still drying in a muggle dryer, since witches or wizards don't hang wet clothes outside anymore.

"Rose?" I jump as I hear my name. I turn around to see Eric staring at me and I'm in nothing but a towel and wet hair. "Whoa…" he says more to himself than me. I blush he notices me blushing so he turns a little red himself and looks away. To be honest, I'm kind of glad it's Eric who sees me like this. Maybe he'll notice me this way…but then again, I want him to notice me for my personality, not for looks.

"Oh, Merlin", I sigh as I turn to head back towards Lily's bedroom.

"Wait!" Eric says immediately, "How come, um, how come you're all wet?" he asks. So I retell the whole story to him and he laughs a little but not like an idiot.

"Mark is such a moron", he agrees with me.

"I know!" we laugh. Just then I hear the back door open and Ben, Al and Mark's voices.

"They must be in here somewhere…" I hear Al say as they open and close all the kitchen cabinets probably looking for something.

"They aren't here, mate", Mark says, as I hear more cabinets open and close.

"What are they looking for?" I ask Eric.

He shrugs as he stares at me, "Beats me".

"Where's Lily? She might know", I hear Ben.

"She's probably upstairs, can you go ask her?" Al replies. I panic as I hear Ben's footsteps, and run back to Lily's room. The last thing I need is one of them seeing me like this.

"Have you seen, Lily?" I hear Ben ask Eric when he comes upstairs.

"Yeah, I saw her downstairs", Eric says.

"What are you doing here?" Ben asks him.

"Just using the washroom. Someone's using the downstairs one so I came up here" Eric explains.

"Oh, then it's probably Lily in the downstairs one", Ben says as I hear him go back downstairs, "Be down soon, once Rose comes back, we're going to eat".

"Okay", Eric says. I wait for a couple minutes till I'm sure everyone's gone before I sneak back out to get my clothes. I open my door to see Eric standing on the other side of it holding my clothes in his hands, my bra dangling off his arm. I turn red because I really didn't want Eric to be looking at my undergarments. "I charmed them dry for you", he says as he hands them to me.

"Thanks" I mumble still a bright shade of crimson. I shut the door immediately, get dressed and rub the towel on my hair to dry it a little. Since I can't use magic outside of school, my hair must dry the normal way today. I grab my flip flops and open the bedroom door to go outside. Eric is sitting on the top step of the staircase and immediately looks up when he hears the door open.

"What are you still doing here?" I ask him as I throw my towel in the hamper. It must've taken me 15 minutes to get ready, I wonder what he's been doing out here for that time.

"I-I was, um, I was waiting for you", he says. I only smile at him but in the inside I'm jumping for joy. I really think I've got his attention…hopefully. Eric and I go downstairs together but we don't say much to each other since we don't know what to say, it's a bit awkward, really.

"Rosie's back", Fred announces as he sees me step into the garden.

"Finally, we can eat!" Donny says, "Rose, I thought you'd starve me. I'm still a growing boy, you know, I need my nutrients". I laugh and playfully stick my tongue out at him.

"Had a good shower, Rose? You look quite wet", Mark says as he comes up to me, Al, who's standing next to us, chokes on his water upon hearing this comment. I really want to believe that Mark's talking about my hair but I know he isn't, and it's disturbing me.

"Dude, if you don't shut up, I'm throwing you in the barbeque machine?" James yells as he takes out the last of the hot dogs.

"And I'll stick this branch up your ass and make shish kabob out of you", Ben picking picking up a piece of branch that had fallen off the oak tree. I smile at the funny comments.

"Oh, good, you found your things", Lily sighs. I turn around and see her stepping into the garden. She comes up to me and pulls me aside for privacy.

"What's up?" I ask unsure.

"I was wondering if it would be alright if I could borrow your cell phone." She asks.

"Of course, but why do you need it", I asked her since they have two different landlines in the house.

"I want to talk to Jacob and I don't want anyone finding out", she whispers in my ear, "I'm getting tired of talking to him on the phone in the washroom with both lines, so no one catches me".

"Yeah sure, it's in my bag", I say.

"Thank you!" She gives me a quick hug. Lily takes a hamburger and some potato salad and marches back inside and up to her room.

"Where did she go?" Al who had noticed asks me as we take a seat at the picnic table.

"She's talking to her friend Carrie on the phone", I tell Al casually.

"Oh", Al says believing my story.

I sit next to Al and Louis at the table, and Mark immediately takes a seat across from me.

"Oh, Gosh!" I sigh getting up because I don't want to sit across from this loser.

"Sit down, Rose" He laughs. I do sit back down and sulk because all the other seats are taken.

James, Fred and Ben immediately stuff their plates with hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, potato salad, French fries and what not. Eric sits next to Mark and doesn't eat much which is a bit weird since I thought he would be stuffing his face just like his friends, but I'm happy he isn't, I like my man to be well mannered, even though Eric isn't my man…yet. I catch him staring at me so I give him a small smile. Damien sits on Mark's other side and I see that he doesn't eat much either. I seriously hope it's not because I crushed his stomach.

"Da-Damien, I hope you're okay, I'm sorry if I hurt you when I fell on you", I ask to make sure. Damien looks up at me for a couple seconds.

"Its fine, don't worry about it, and you're not very heavy anyways", He smiles as he goes back to his food. The last comment about me not being very heavy just lifts my mood and I start filling my plate with a bit more French fries. Al and Louis had heard and they both chuckled.

"Why are you laughing? " Mark turns to them, "It's not funny, guys, Rose almost killed poor Damien", Mark said. I glare at him.

"It was your fault! And can you please stop touching my leg with your disgusting toes?" I yell.

"Pucey, man, why do you have so many issues?" Donny asks between chewing his chicken wings.

"I'm in love with Rose! I'm sorry!" He says with his innocent voice again, I snort.

Mark and Damien start talking amongst themselves when I hear Louis unexpectedly whisper in my ear, "Has Bonnie said anything about us lately?"

I turn to look at him. "What?" I ask a bit confused.

"Has Bonnie said anything about us lately? About me and her? Anything?" He asks in a hushed tone so no one hears, he seems a bit worried. He whispers because he hasn't really told his friends that he and Bonnie are together since Bonnie has dated a few of his friends in the past, so he hasn't told anyone yet, except for maybe Donny.

"What are you worried about?" I ask steering away from answering that question, since she did mention he's just 'ehhh…'

"Tell me the truth, Rose, is she still interested in me?" He asks.

"To be honest I have no idea, but I'll try to find out", I promise. I'm telling the truth; Bonnie never told me what happened at the Leaky Cauldron so I'm still a little unsure.

"Thanks", He mutters as he takes a bite of his food.

"But really, why do you think she isn't interested anymore", I ask. I take a bite of my potato salad as I wait for him to swallow.

"She doesn't really want to hang out anymore. We make plans but she keeps cancelling them. And when we do see each other, it's not like…you know, we just talk…and that's it", he tries to explain and I understand his vague words.

"Aw, I'm sorry. She'll probably tell me if there is something. Don't worry about it too much. And if it'll make you feel any better, she never said she doesn't like you anymore", I say truthfully as I rub his arm to comfort him. Even though she seemed a little unsure about him, she never directly said she didn't like him.

He smiles at me and puts an arm around me, "Sometimes I wish you were my real sister".

"But you have sisters. Two of them", I point out.

"Yes but Victoire and Dom are always busy with their own girly things and they treat me like a dumb little child, always bossing me around", He says casually. Victoire and Dominique are very close to each other but Louis isn't close with them since they are always so absorbed in themselves or busy with their own lives. Most of the time, they don't even take him seriously and think he's inferior to them or something, so he likes talking to me. I'm actually closer to my male cousins rather than my female ones because even though I'm a girl, I understand their problems, and I'm easy to talk to. In fact I was one of the guys when I was 11 and 12 years old, that's why I'm such good friends with them still. And then Scorpius Malfoy caught my eye the summer before third year, I developed a big crush on him and became a little more feminine since then, even though I'm over him now.

I resume to my food as we talk excitedly about our OWL results which will be coming very soon. I catch Eric glancing my way occasionally. He still seems very quiet which is unusual since he's a very talkative person, and I'm not the only one to notice.

"Eric, what's wrong?" Al asks. Trust Al to notice every single little thing in this world.

"Oh nothing", He replies casually, "Just have a bit of a stomach ache". My poor baby! My poor Eric has a stomach ache.

"Al, can you pass me a hamburger, please?" I ask.

"Why don't you have a wiener instead, Rose?" Mark asks slyly. "They're very tasty, have mine…please!" he offers me his hotdog.

I look at him disgusted, "You are so fucking immature and I think I just lost my appetite!"

"Why do you have to be such a prick, Mark?" Al yells, "You're really perverted and annoying and you really need a girlfriend!"

"How am I being a prick, I'm being generous. She should be honored that I'm offering her my wiener", He sniggers, "my food, I mean".

"Man, you really need to shut up. That's disgusting! Stop bothering Rose all the time", Ben who had heard scolds him.

"How's that disgusting?" Marks puts on a fake shocked and confused look. He stops to think for a couple seconds. "Oh!" he exclaims and then nods his head in disappointment, "My my, you guys have dirty minds, don't you?"

"I hate you, dumbass!" I exclaim to him angrily.

"And I love you, beautiful", He laughs back. Al sighs because this has been going on for the past two to three years. After a while later, Mark stopped hitting on me and became a little more normal. This is what usually happens, he'll annoy me for a bit in the beginning and then he'll just stop and become a normal human being which is probably why he's a part of Al's group of friends. If Mark was a douchebag 24/7, he probably wouldn't be here right now.

After we finished eating, we all helped James and Al clean up. Ben and I were in charge of dealing with all the leftovers; James charmed the dishes to wash themselves, Al and Louis cleaned up the food and the table while Eric, Fred and Damien folded the large tables, and Mark, Lance, Donny folded all the chairs and carried them away to the shed.

"I don't want summer to end", James sighs when we're the only three inside the house.

"I don't want 7th year to come, NEWT's and last year of Hogwarts!" Ben says half sad but half excited.

"Well it's going to end, and NEWT's are less than a year away, and then graduation for you guys!" I say excitedly.

"I'm really going to miss Hogwarts. I want to make this an epic year!" James exclaims excitedly.

"I second that! I'm going to miss you next year, Rose, when you're studying for your NEWT's, I'm going to be in the real world, with a job and living the life", Ben teases me. I punch him on his arm playfully.

"Well, I'm going to miss you this year when I'll be having fun playing quidditch and going to Hogsmeade while you're stuck in the common room studying!" I stick my tongue out at him.

"That's true. When are we getting our report cards back! I want to know if I'm Headboy or not!" James says

"Who in their right mind would make you Headboy? James, you weren't even a prefect!" Ben exclaims.

"Yes, but it's still possible!" James replies.

"Yeah, okay!" Ben says sarcastically, he turns to me. "So did you get your OWL's results back, Rose?" Ben asks me casually.

"No, not yet. I think they come with the annual results", I reply, "But I'm not very anxious, to be honest". I know I did well on my OWL's and I know I probably got _Outstanding_ on almost everything since my mother makes me study so much.

"You probably did really well, though, you're one of the brightest, and most intelligent young witches I know. I mean that, you truly are", He smiles at me. I turn crimson from that compliment. I'm a very modest person if I do say so myself.

"Thanks", I mutter trying to hold my smile.

Ben puts down the saran wrap he's holding and turns to me, "Rose, your face is glowing! If you have to smile or laugh or whatever, just do it!" He chuckles and stretches my mouth into a wide smile causing James to laugh.

"Ben!" I giggle as I push his hand away from my face.

"I remember my OWL's", Ben says as he stops what he's doing and thinks back to his 5th year. "I studied my ass off and then in the examination room, Dominique was asking me questions throughout the whole thing and I was so stupid, I helped her. Thank God I didn't get caught or I would have been expelled!"

"Wow!" I say mildly surprised, "She's so selfish!"

"I can't believe you let her take advantage of your feelings for her", James points out.

"Whatever. I don't even like her anymore. I was just attracted to her for her looks. She's not someone I'd want to be with" Ben shrugs.

"Aw, Benny!" I rub his arm, "I'm proud of you for understanding that. I guess I'm not the only smart one here".

"Thanks, Rose!" He gives me a quick hug. I turn around to put the salad in the refrigerator when I see Eric standing there staring at us. Ben had noticed him as well.

"Hey, man!" Ben says. I wonder how long Eric's been standing there for.

"Did you guys put the tables and chairs in the shed?" James asks him.

"Yeah. We did", he says without smiling. The back door opened and Fred, Damien, Mark, Lance and Donny come in.

"You guys almost done?" They ask us as we finish with the last of the food and dishes.

"Almost", James replies charming the bowls in the sink.

"Well, hurry up; Al and Louis are setting up the movie already!" Donny exclaims.

"Have any of you seen Lily by the way?" James wonders.

"She's upstairs, I'll go get her", I volunteer since I don't want anyone to walk in on her while she's talking to Jacob. I wonder if she's still talking to Jacob, it's been a while, and how much can a person talk on the phone?

"I'll come with you", Eric says surprising me. He's been awfully quiet today; maybe I'll try to talk to him and find out what's going on with him.

"So, what's up with you today?" I ask him when we leave the kitchen. I'm surprised at my relaxed speech because usually I'm like a broken tape recorder, according to Bonnie.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"You're awfully quiet…" I point out. If there's something bothering him, I hope Eric tells me, he's not one to keep his thoughts inside. Like me, he usually just says what's on his mind. Plus, maybe I can give him good advice and get him to potentially fall for me...I wish.

"Nothing's wrong," he smiles at me.

"Eric…" I nudge him playfully, "Just say it!"

"Nothing's wrong, Rose", He chuckles. I sigh, because I had my hopes up that he would say he's fallen madly in love with me or something. I mean, he's been quiet since he saw me in the towel and I thought maybe he realized that I'm a pretty girl and he's a hot boy and we should hook up…maybe I'm just getting my hopes up.

"So, anything new?" I ask trying to make conversation. Usually, Eric's always talking and we never have this awkward silence but for some reason, today's different.

"No, nothing's new" Eric says. Just when we reach the top of the stairs, Lily's bedroom door opens.

"Hey, James is looking for you", I tell her. She looks really flushed and happy and I'm assuming the conversation with Jacob went well.

"Okay!" She says happily, and the three of us go back downstairs. "Rose said you were looking for me?" She asks James when we get to the kitchen. James and Ben are putting the wet dishes on the dish rack while everyone else has made themselves comfortable in the recreation room in the basement.

"Yeah, I was wondering what you're doing all by yourself?" He asks.

"Just talking to my friend", she says cheerfully.

"Would you like to eat some more, you barely had any dinner? I could make you another hamburger or something" he offers. James and Al pamper Lily a lot and I find it really cute, but sometimes she gets annoyed since she feels like they treat her like a child. She and Hugo can relate to each other.

"No, I'm good, thanks", She replies. I can tell she's anxious to go back to her room, probably resume the conversation or something.

"We're going downstairs to watch a movie; you're welcome to watch with us if you like", he offers.

"No thanks", she says quickly. I can tell she's jumping up and down inside, and I really hope no one else can tell or they'll get suspicious.

"Well if you get bored or something, you can come sit with me downstairs", he says.

"Okay!" She replies and with that, she runs back upstairs.

"I wonder why's she's in such a rush?" James asks.

"Probably had a lot of cola", Ben replies, "Let's go!" Ben himself is in a rush to go downstairs and watch the movie even though they're not going to start without us.

"Wait, maybe I should go and see what she's even doing…" James wonders to himself.

"James!" I almost yell, "Leave her alone, and give her some privacy!" I try to stop him.

"Perhaps you're right", he agrees. "Let me just lock all the doors and check the shed and stuff and we'll go down".

"Oh my gosh! You take so long!" Ben whines. "You know what? We're going downstairs!" He grabs my arm, "Come on, Rose!" I laugh as he drags me to the basement while Eric just stares at us. We go to the basement and James and Eric check the doors and make sure everything is okay.

"Merlin!" Donny yells when he sees us.

"Okay start the movie!" Ben calls out as he plops down on the couch.

"We can't set up the home theater system!" Al yells in frustration.

"If you'd just listened to me!" Damien snarls.

"Whatever! It's not like you know how to do it!" Al snaps.

"Let, Rose do it", Ben suggests, "I'm sure she's got these muggle things at home".

I take a look at what wires they've connected and where they've connected it. "Everything seems to look good…" I wonder out loud.

"Told you!" Al yells at Damien.

"Then why isn't it working, Dumbledore?" Damien retorts back sarcastically. Apparently, my parents say this Dumbledore dude was a genius.

"Boys!" Mark yells trying to hush them up, "Let Rose think".

"Do your magic, Rosie!" Donny says making me laugh.

"Give me the remote", I ask Damien who hands me the gray remote control.

"OH!" I say when I realize what the problem is. "You've been using the wrong remote control! It's the black one, this one is for the TV only! And this one is for the surround sound system. You've got to adjust the settings", I tell them. I fix all the settings as I show Albus how to do it as well, so he doesn't call me everytime he wants to watch a movie.

"I love you, Rose!" Louis says as he hugs me.

"You're a miracle worker! What would we _lousy_ wizards do without you", Donny says.

"Hey, speak for yourself!" Damien says.

"Excuse me but you said the red wire goes in that hole, when I plugged it in perfectly correct in this hole!" Al reminds him. Damien blushes and I smile because it's the first time I've seen him blush. He looks cute because he doesn't usually have this expression on his face…sort of reminds me of Scorpius.

"Let's just agree she's really smart!" Donny says. I sigh because I just love my friends. Even though I love my girls to death, nothing beats hanging out with the guys, even though I have to put up with Pucey for a while in the beginning. I love the fact that I can just be myself around them and they still love me. Even though I can be myself around Emma, Bonnie, and Priya, the boys make me feel like the centre of attention.

"Yeah well, I taught her everything she knows!" Ben laughs. I snort and throw a cushion at him.

"Where's the movie? Rose, can you put the movie in now?" Mark asks. I nod, I'm happy he's talking to me like a normal person now. I do feel bad for him though, I should really find him a girlfriend who'll satisfy his needs.

"What movie do you guys want to watch?" Fred asks holding a bunch of DVDs in his hand.

"Let's watch a James Bond movie", James, who had come downstairs now with Eric, suggested

"No let's watch _Ocean's 12_. We saw the first one so let's watch the second one!" Ben suggests.

"No. I've heard it's not that good", Eric says flatly.

"How about _I know what you did last summer_?" Damien suggests as he takes the DVD from Fred's hand.

"No horror movies, please", Donny says in a cute voice, "Just happy ones".

"I agree", I add, "I'm going to get nightmares".

"Don't worry I'll chase the monsters away for you, Rose", Ben rolls his eyes, earning him a playful punch on the arm from me.

"How about this one?" Fred asks holding up _Pineapple_ _Express_.

"Seen it!" Louis says.

"How about this one?" Lance says as he grabs Twilight from Fred's hands. We all turn to stare at him. This kid cannot be serious. _Twilight_? Cornyyyy!

"Lily watches that!" Al says trying to get a point across and causing us to laugh, even Eric, who's been so serious for a while.

"The trailer looked good!" Lance says in his defense. In the end we ended up voting for which movie we wanted to watch and we settled on _I know what you did last summer_, much to mine and Donny's dismay. Al puts the movie in since he knows that much. I immediately make my way to the large 3-seater couch and lounge across it, hogging the whole space.

"Rose! You can't take the whole couch. Where are the rest of us gonna sit? Scoot over!" James says annoyed.

"But I'm special", I say innocently.

"Yes, you are, in place called imaginary land!" He retorts. I smack him with the cushion before I sit up. James sits on my left and Ben sits on my right. I immediately stretch my legs across Ben's laps and he doesn't mind.

"Why do we have to watch this?" I whine.

"I'll tell you when the scary part comes so you can cover your eyes", James teases me, earning another cushion smack. Eric, Al and Mark lounge on the carpeted floor, while Fred and Damien take the two beanie chairs and Lance, Louis sit on the other couch and Donny takes the armchair. Once we're all comfortable, Al plays the movie.

Even though Donny didn't want to see a horror movie today, he seems to be enjoying it like everybody else, except me. I'm not a fan of scary movies, so I kept taking washroom breaks, to miss the scary parts. If I watch a scary movie, I just end up barfing all over the place.

"I'm gonna go and hang with Lily while you guys watch", I say. They are all so absorbed in the movie that they don't seem to notice me leaving.

I turn on the lights on the main floor since I'm scared the Fisherman is going to show up and slay me. I'm really freaked out that I don't bother knocking on her door so I just walk in, and to my horror, there is a 16-year-old boy just lounging casually on Lily's bed, playing catch with a ball.

"Lily!" I gasp and close the door so none of them downstairs hears anything, "What's _he_ doing _here_? You are going to get into so much shit!"

"Oh my gosh! Rose! It's not what it looks like!"

"Lily, why is Jacob here?" I ask.

"Because I invited him", she says with a small voice.

"If you're your parents or your brothers or anyone finds out, you are dead meat!" I remind her.

"Maybe I should get going…" Jacob says unsure. I stare at McDougal in shock as I see him grab his broomstick and climb out Lily's window. Once he's gone and she has shut the window, I turn to her.

"What exactly were you two doing? Why didn't you tell me he's coming?" I feel betrayed because I thought we had mutual trust. I'm also a little scared for her, what could a 16 year old boy be doing in Lily's bedroom at this hour? I hope they weren't doing anything stupid that they'll regret later on.

"I promise, we were just talking! I didn't tell you because you wouldn't have approved, and he only came like an hour or two ago. He wasn't here for long", she defends herself.

"Lily, what were you guys doing? Merlin, it better not be—"

"NO! Of course not!" She cries, "We were only talking, I swear!"

"You lied to me, Lily I thought we tell each other everything, and you lied to me! How am I supposed to believe nothing happened?" I say. I feel a bit heartbroken.

"Rose, I swear! But you can't tell anyone he was here, please!" She starts crying.

I sigh. "I won't tell anyone", I promise, "Please don't cry".

"Thanks, Rose", she muffles out.

"But Lily, what were you guys doing?"

"We were just talking, about the future, getting to know each other better. We haven't even told each other that we like each other. He doesn't even know for sure how much I like him and I don't know anything yet either", she says. I can tell she's telling the truth because she's crying and whenever Lily cries, it means she's telling the truth.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I demand. I tell her almost everything, and she doesn't tell me this.

"Because of your reaction. I knew you wouldn't believe me if I told you we're just talking", She replies.

I sigh. Although I feel a bit hurt by the fact that Lily didn't tell me Jacob's been in her room for the past couple of hours, I don't feel so hurt because there are things I haven't told her either. Like everything about Scorpius.

"Where are Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry?" I ask.

"They came home an hour ago, while you guys were in the basement. They're already asleep", she tells me.

"So did they suspect anything, or what?" I ask, not able to believe how she did this. It's like sneaking a weapon in check-in at the airport.

"No", she cries some more.

"So what did you guys talk about? Do you like him? Does he like you?" I ask with a small smile.

Lily wipes away her tears and shrugs, "We just talked. I don't think he's as interested as I hoped". Now I understand the reason for the heavy tears.

"That's okay", I comfort her, "You're still young and there are so many more guys that are going to cross your path".

Lily and I talk about Jacob for a while. I discovered that either he's playing hard-to-get or he isn't as interested as she is. Also, Lily suspect's he's still not over his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Boot, who's also a Ravenclaw in my year. I tell Lily about what happened with Eric today when I came out of the shower and how he's been so quiet and mysterious ever since.

"Maybe he's surprised that he never looked at you that way before", Lily thinks. Her opinion actually makes sense to me.

"I think he's surprised that I'm not just James and Al's cousin who plays keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and gets along well with everyone, even dudes".

"Well, you aren't a tomboy, Rose; you're quite girly too you know. But I think around him, you've always been a tomboy because you know he likes you as that, and that's how you feel comfortable around him", she tells me.

"I think you're right. For someone who's stupid enough to sneak an older guy into her bedroom, you're quite smart", I joke causing Lily to giggle and sniffle. We spend the rest of our time painting our nails and experimenting with makeup when Lily begins to grow tired.

"I think I'll go downstairs, the movie will probably end soon, anyway", I suggest so she can sleep.

"Okay", she says as she yawns. We both remove our makeup and change into our pajamas. I wear my regular short shorts and tank top since it's boiling hot and Lily puts on her super cute little night gown.

"Mum got it for me from London", she tells me when I ask her about it, "It's so hot these days, and it's great for summer". Once I'm done brushing my teeth, I turn off the bedroom light, grab my cell phone and go back downstairs. The lights are on in the kitchen so I go to see who's there. Lance and Damien are in the kitchen drinking a glass of water.

"Hey", they both say.

"Is the movie over?" I ask as I put on a light thin zipper sweater since it's a little more cooler down here, plus the floor tiles are a little cold as well.

"Yeah it is. You don't have to pretend to go to the washroom anymore", Damien smirks. So they were paying attention to what I was saying.

"I still wish we watched Twilight", Lance mutters.

"Dude, you're weird", Damien rolls his eyes. I laugh and the three of us go downstairs. I see James and Eric putting layers of comforters on the floor, while Al, Donny, Mark, Louis, are holding on to all the pillows and Fred and Ben are getting the blankets. I spot Eric in his uber cute pajamas. He's wearing black and white bottoms and a grey sleeveless undershirt sort of thing. His muscular and toned body just makes my head spin. Even though Ben, Damien, and Lance look similar to him right now, with similar PJ's and muscular bodies, I don't notice _them_ because Eric seems to be the centre of my world right now, it's like he's the only other person in the room. In fact, I wish he was the only other person in the room right now, I would just grab him and kiss him and do what not to him right now.

"Are you guys sleeping already?" I ask when I finally stop thinking about Eric. They look up to see that I have come back from hiding from the movie. I can see Eric staring at me again. It's not a stare of longing much to my dismay, though. I can't really tell what it is.

"No, we're just setting up the bed", Al says. He turns to James, "I think you should push the couch back a little more so two more people can fit". Just like Al had said, James, Eric, Lance and Damien push the couch back and Mark throws one of the pillows on the couch.

"That's where you'll be sleeping", He tells me, "But of course, you'll welcome to sleep next to me, if you'd like", he teases.

"Yeah, I'd rather not", I reply without expression.

"Here's a blanket for you, my lady", Ben says bowing and putting one of the blanket's on the couch.

"Thank you, sir", I reply with a similar gesture.

"Is Lily asleep?" Al asks me.

"Yup", I reply.

"I'll go check on her", he says as he goes upstairs.

I sigh, "She's 14, I don't think she needs checking on".

"Yes, but just in case, you know", James tries to convince me. I sigh again. The boys finished setting up their bed. They had set out large comforters all across the floor with 11 pillows across in a line and 11 blankets.

"You know, I think I'll probably just sleep in Lily's room" I suggested.

"Just sleep here", Eric spoke up, surprising me. My Eric wants me here! He wants me in his presence! Well this is uplifting…

"Yeah, plus we're not sleeping just yet, we'll have fun, and you can hang with us, Rosie", Ben says.

"Why do you call her Rosie? Her name's Rose", Eric asks him a little sternly.

"I don't know, cause she likes Rosie, whatever, doesn't matter", Ben rolls his eyes.

"And you'll disturb Lily while she's sleeping" Damien pointed out. He surprises me a little with his comment since we barely talk to each other because he's so quiet and mysterious around me. But I have noticed so many things to be changing lately; maybe this is another one of them.

"Okay, I'll just sleep on this couch", I say as I make myself comfortable on my temporary bed for tonight.

"Dibs! I'm sleeping right here!" Ben says as he plops down on the very last spot which is right next to the sofa I'm on.

"Does it matter? It's just a sleeping spot", Eric says a little annoyed I think.

"Yes, but I like this spot", Ben replies cheerfully.

"But if I have to get up at night to go to the washroom or something, I'm going to accidently step on you", I try to scare him.

"Shit!" Ben laughs. I really like Ben, he's so cheerful and fun. Most of the time, cheerful people are annoying, but Ben is so much fun, I could never get annoyed of him. What's annoying me right now is Eric and his unusually odd and sour behavior.

"I'm so cold", I say as I try to keep myself warm under the blanket. The blanket is really thin, which is generally ideal for summer, but it's not doing a very good job.

"It's the basement, what would you expect?" Mark points out. I agree, even though the basement is fully finished, it's still very cold.

"Slytherin dungeons are colder", Lance says.

"Yeah but we're used to it now", Al, who had come back now, shrugs as everyone else claims a spot on the large bed. Ben is on the closest side to me; next to him are James, then Al, then Damien, Mark, Fred, Louis, Donny, Lance and Eric.

"Maybe you shouldn't wear those to bed, your legs will freeze", Damien says pointing to my shorts. It's interesting how notices the details. I do regret my shorts but I thought I would be sleeping in Lily's room which is the hottest room in the house. Whatever, nothing I can do now.

"If I fall off the couch at night and crush you, you're going to die, I had a lot of French fries today", I laugh as I tell Ben.

"Don't worry about it. You won't fall off, and even if you do, I'll just throw you back up", he jokes.

"You can't _throw_ a person _up_! That makes no sense", I hear Eric annoyed from the far end. I was actually hoping he would be next to me instead of Ben so I could just fall on top of him on purpose or something. I smile to myself at a mental image of me falling on Eric and sleeping on top of him for the whole night. But it would be really awkward with nine other people in the room. James get's up to turn off the light and turn on the lamps to make it darker.

"Guys, wanna tell scary stories?" Donny asks excitedly.

"Weren't you the one who didn't even want to watch a horror movie just a couple hours ago?" Fred reminds him.

"Yes, but I've changed my mind! I love being scared!" He laughs.

"No scary stories please", I beg, "Either I'm going to end up barfing or I won't be able to sleep at night".

"Don't worry, you can hold my hand", Ben offers his hand.

"Thank you Benny!" I say sweetly as I take his hand.

"You know, if a mass murderer breaks into the house right now and tries to kill Rose, the fact that you're holding her hand won't stop him, Ben", Eric snaps. I've never seen Eric so uptight or snap at anyone let alone his best friends and I'm beginning to worry. I really think he's mad at Ben about something because he's being so annoyed and snappy at the poor guy. I wonder what could be bothering him.

"Just a joke, man, chill, it's like you've got a metal rod up your ass", Lance who's lying next to him, says annoyed.

"Yeah, what's up with you today?" Fred asks him. I guess I'm not the only one who noticed…again.

"Nothing, you guys just say the most ridiculous things!" Eric tries to defend himself. All of us are quiet for a couple minutes because none of us know what to make of his snappy attitude. The silence is bothering me so I decide to break it.

"Al?" I say.

"Yeah", He responds.

"Would you happen to have an extra something I could wear over myself, I'm freezing?" I say as I turn to my side and squeeze my hands between my thighs for warmth under my blanket.

"Were there any extras in the closet, Fred?" Al asks him.

"Yeah, I think I saw one or two more", Fred tries to remember.

"I'll go—" I see Eric getting up before Ben suddenly interrupted him.

"I'll get it, I want one for myself too", Ben says as he jumps up. After a couple seconds later Ben comes back with 3 blankets.

"Brought an extra one, just in case anyone wants it", He says as he throws the extra in the middle. He throws one to me as well.

"Can you put it on me please, my hands are too cold" I say without moving.

"Fine, fine, just because I'm such a nice person and you love me so much", He jokes.

"Um, excuse me, but I've done nice things for you too!" I say back.

"Well, I'm always helping you", he points out as he puts the blanket on me.

"Just a freakin' blanket", We hear Eric mutter under his breath.

"Now would you like a good night kiss too ickle Rosie" he asks in a baby voice. I can swear I just heard Eric cough.

"That's quite alright but thank you for the offer", I laugh.

After we talk for an hour about quidditch, plans after Hogwarts, crushes and what not, the boys finally grow tired and fall asleep. I regret my decision of sleeping down here because I can't sleep with the snoring from 6 different people. I'm just thankful Ben, Al, and Fred don't snore or I wouldn't be able to handle the noise. I try to fall asleep, but I can't, even after counting sheep, staring at the texture of the ceiling and observing their snoring patterns. I finally decide to sing softly to myself, because around ten years ago, when I couldn't fall asleep, Mum told me I should sing myself to sleep, softly.

"Rose…" Ben stirs in his sleep. I didn't realize that he might be able to hear me since he's closest to me.

"Sshh, its okay, go back to sleep", I whisper as I push him back down when he tries to sit up still half asleep. I lie there for a half an hour as I think about Eric, and his behavior around me today, is it possible he's attracted to me? He keeps staring at me. If he's attracted to me, I'm a little sad it's because he saw me in a towel and shorts. Or maybe he likes me for a while now. I wonder what he's mad at Ben about, I don't know if anyone else noticed, but he did snap at Ben quite a few times. I'm a little upset about that though because it's kind of mean since Ben's one of the nicest people I know. He's sweet and charming and he's even cute and good to look at. I can't believe Dominique never saw this, but I'm also happy she didn't because she'd just be his downfall. But Ben will probably find someone who'll make him happy, since he's such a nice bloke and he's good looking. I think out of all the boys here, Eric is probably the best looking, obviously, and then it would have to be Ben. I can't really say anything about my cousins but Damien and Lance are really hot as well. Damien and Ben are actually tied for second place, and then Lance. Donny's not too bad either but his personality is really nice which makes him attractive so I think he would be at number four, and then Mark, who's average looking but his personality just makes his face look disgusting. I never thought I'd be grading my school friends on looks, that's always Bonnie and Priya's job

I'm really excited for the carnival in two weeks, since people from my school will be there and it'll be so much fun. I hope Priya's parents let her go; she's always the life of the fun. I didn't realize when I began to grow tired and drifted off into light sleep. I remember that my mind had no care for the snores anymore and I was just so tired. I had a short dream about Eric and Ben getting into a fight while I tried to stop it. I was peacefully asleep when I heard muffled sounds of music in my dream. My favorite song in fact, I enjoyed the music for a little bit when I suddenly realized what was going on. I shot up and took my phone from underneath the pillow. I had forgot to put it on vibrate but at least the ringer volume was at minimum.

"Hello", I whisper as I jump off to the couch and go to the sit on the middle steps of stairs where I hope no one can hear me.

"_Hello, Rose", the male voice says at the other end, "it's Scorpius"._

"Hi, how are you", I say in a hushed tone.

"_Fine. How about you?" he asks._

"I'm great, I was sleeping, Scorpius, its 2:30 am", I say trying to tell him indirectly that he woke me up by calling at such an inappropriate time.

"_I know" he says. "Sorry", he adds in a smaller voice, and I can tell he's turning the same adorable red color again._

"It's fine, but is everything okay?" I ask. Since he called so late, I'm a little worried something's gone wrong.

"_Everything's fine", he assures me._

"Then why did you call?" I ask feeling a little impatient and annoyed. At another time, I would feel overjoyed at the fact that Scorpius is calling me, but when I finally was able to fall asleep, he wakes me up.

"_I-I just wanted to hear your voice", he says with a very small voice I can barely hear. _

"Well, Scorpius, you could have called a bit earlier in the evening or something, or even tomorrow, I was sleeping", I tell him again.

"_I said I'm sorry", he mumbles. Neither of us says anything. "Please don't be mad at me, Rose", he says in his very small voice again._

I sigh, "I'm not mad at you". Even though I want to be, I find it a little surprising that I'm not mad at him for waking me up.

"_Um, thank you…" he says a little unsure making me chuckle._

"You don't have to thank me for that", I smile as I tell him. He sounds so innocent right now, even though I know for a fact his past isn't innocent. I really want to know what happened to him…

"_Oh", he replies. Neither of us says anything again. "I was thinking about you today", he breaks the silence._

Even though I'm really tired, my eyes shoot wide open. "Oh really…" I say slowly. I wonder what he's thinking about me.

"_Yeah, do you want to meet tomorrow—well technically today, since it's already Sunday?" He asks._

"Yeah, of course", I say softly. I'm trying to hold my excitement that Scorpius wants to hang out tomorrow. Even though I'm tired as ever, I feel like jumping.

"_I was thinking we could meet somewhere outside, rather than the centre", he says it more like a question._

"Yes, of course, that's fine with me". I don't ask him why since I don't want him to feel like I ask too many questions or intrude too much, I want him to feel like it's his choice whether he wants to talk to me or not.

"_It-it's just th-that whenever I'm there, I feel like I can't breathe, it s-so depressing", Scorpius tries to finds words to describe it. My heart feels heavy as I listen to his words. "I don't want to feel like a caged animal, you know. I feel like I'm- I'm in a rehab centre even though I'm perfectly fine. Just being there, Rose, makes me so-so angry. My grandmother's making me do this but I didn't want to be here. Everytime I'm there I f-feel like the walls are closing on me and everyone there is trying to cr-crush me into pieces", he finishes._

"Oh, Scorpius!" I say softly as a tear falls down my cheek. They told me Scorpius is someone who seems to despise the world, and I always thought I would have a hard time trying to get him to talk to me about his feelings, but here he is spilling his heart out to me. I really wish I was with him right now so I could hug him or comfort him. "We don't have to meet there, we can meet anywhere", I assure him. "A coffee shop, in a shopping centre, anywhere you want".

"_Thank you, Rose", he says, "Are you crying?" he asks me when I sniff a little._

"No", I lie but he can tell I'm lying.

"_Don't cry for me, Rose, I'm not worth it", he sighs. Just then I see a dark figure come towards me and when he gets closer I realize its Damien._

"What are you doing?" Damien asks me in a hushed and tired tone.

"Hold on", I tell Scorpius. "Nothing", I quickly say to Damien. "Why are you up?" I ask him still holding my phone to my ear.

"I thought I heard you crying. I'm a light sleeper but are you okay? Is something wrong?" Damien asks kindly.

I laugh slightly, "I'm fine". I didn't realize Scorpius had heard Damien's voice.

"_Is that Zabini?" He asks me, "What's Zabini doing in your house at this hour?" Scorpius growls. He must be upset since him and Damien were good friends before, and now they don't talk. Scorpius doesn't know I'm at Al so he's probably thinking Damien and I are…_

"No! No! It's nothing like that", I say to Scorpius.

"_Why is he at your house, Rose?" Scorpius asks me a bit impatiently._

"I'm at Albus's place, and D-I mean all of us-are sleeping over at the potters, all of Al's and James' friends, and me", I clear it up without saying to much since Damien's right here.

"_Oh, I see", he says quickly, "I have to go, bye". Without waiting for me to reply, Scorpius puts the phone down. I could tell from his voice he's a little upset, probably since I'm good friends with his friends. _

"What's going on?" Damien asks me raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. Let's go back to sleep", I suggest as I go back to my couch. Damien follows me to the room and goes back to his spot on the floor.

I lay on the couch for a while, thinking about Scorpius since I can't sleep. We were having such a good moment before Damien had to come and ruin it. He was finally talking to me about his feelings and then Damien had to interrupt. I hadn't expected Scorpius to say what he did say, especially this early in the friendship. I thought I would have to work so hard to gain his trust but I didn't. I'm actually surprised about how honest he is with his feelings. Out of all the teenage boys I know, Scorpius is probably the most genuine even though I only started talking to him a couple weeks ago, but from the letter and the phone calls, he seems so…real! Most of the boys today just hide their feelings afraid people would laugh at them or they don't want to appear to be a 'softy', but Scorpius is different. Maybe that's what draws me to him so much, because he's so deep and I want to know so much about him. I'm sure if Scorpius ever likes a girl he'll probably tell her straight up, unlike other boys who'll just flirt with the girl and get her to admit the feelings first. I chuckle at the thought, imagining Scorpius with a girlfriend. That's funny. I don't think Scorpius would ever want a relationship with someone since the relationships he does have are so complicated. Plus, he has so much going on, from what I'm guessing that he doesn't care for that, and he isn't exactly the romantic type. I laugh to myself again as I imagine Scorpius reciting romantic poems. I yawn as I begin to grow tired. I hope Scorpius still wants to see me tomorrow, and with that thought, I slowly fall asleep.


	10. The Claustrophobic Bipolar Disaster

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: A reader had reviewed and asked me if I could do a chapter or two from Scorpius's point of view. I had been thinking about that for a while now myself. But I want this story to be about Rose finding Scorpius and she takes the reader on a journey with her as she discovers him. That's the main reason why it's in her point of view because I was even thinking of writing this story in third-person. I think it would defeat the purpose of the story if I do chapters in Scorpius's POV. Maybe later on when we are far into the story and all the secrets are out but for now I don't think I will be doing any chapters in Scorp's POV...for a while. **

It's the Sunday and I'm supposed to meet Scorpius today, even though he didn't tell me where he wants to meet. I'm at my own house and getting dressed in my room, around noon. I came back from the Potters an hour ago, and even though they all insisted I stay, I had promised Scorpius I would see him. I woke up a short while ago, in fact when I did wake up on the couch in the Potter's basement, I saw that I was the last one still sleeping and everyone else was awake and having breakfast. So I scurried out of bed, freshened up, had breakfast and flooed back home. Eric was surprisingly in a good mood and he was joking around with his friends at breakfast, even Ben. He even talked to me like he usually did before yesterday. Damien still hadn't forgotten about last night, much to my annoyance, and he even pulled me aside when no one noticed, even Al. He asked me what I was doing last night but I acted like I don't remember anything and maybe he had a dream. Even though he knows perfectly well that it wasn't having a dream, he stopped asking questions. It's not any of his business anyway. Lily on the other hand was sulking all morning and I'm guessing it's because Jacob McDougal doesn't like her the way she likes him. James and Al kept asking her about why she's so upset making her angry so she stormed off to her room and didn't come out. Donny and Mark had already gone home by the time I came for breakfast and Louis was getting ready to leave since Victoire wanted her whole family to accompany her to London and help her pick a dress, and Louis was forced to go too. Fred was going home too since he had to go to Aunt Angelina's parents' home for lunch with his parents and Roxanne.

Now that I had taken a shower, I stood in front of my closet confused as to what to wear until I realized it isn't clothes that I'm confused about but rather as to what I'm going to say to Scorpius. What are we going to talk about? He's probably going to interrogate me about my day at Al's. I shrug the thoughts away because I'm only going to find out when I get there. I decide to wear a pair of light blue skinny jeans and a teal summer flowing cami, and the decision only took me less than a minute. Ironic, huh? I got Mum to charm my hair dry and into perfect large curls, since I can't do magic here. I grabbed my white wedges that have been lying on the floor since that day I wore them to the burrow weeks ago. I've been so lazy lately that my room's so messy, and I get yelled at by Mum about whenever she gets the chance. She keeps telling me how Hugo keeps his room so neat and organized and that I should do the same and blah blah blah.

"Ready to go?" She asks me when I go downstairs. I had called Scorpius to ask him where we should meet and he texted me to come to SCSY and we can go somewhere from there. I'm actually more comfortable with that because I don't want my Mum to know I'm meeting him elsewhere. Even though we're going to be in a public place, she'll go berserk and start talking about safety. I personally think Alice and Lauren exaggerated about Scorpius a little; he's not as scary as they said he is, he _was_ a bit at first when he lashed out on me, but not anymore. He's really sweet if I think about it; no one has ever spent the time and effort to make me a beautiful card with their own hands, or written such an honest and meaningful letter of apology for me or called me on my phone just because they want to hear my voice.

"So how come, you haven't been to SCSY in such a long time?" Mum asks me as I drink my juice in the car.

"My buddy's been busy so he told me he couldn't come", I Iie as I block my mind. I'm actually becoming sort of an expert at that.

"Oh, I see", Mum says believing my story. "Did you have fun at Aunt Ginny's?"

"Yeah, I did!" I say cheerfully as I take a sip from my juice box.

"Did you get to talk to Eric?" She asks. I choke on my juice. How the hell did _she_ find out?

"W-what are you t-talking about?" I ask turning my face away.

"Rose", Mum chuckles, "I'm your mother you, don't have to pretend around me".

I sigh, "How did you find out though?"

"I can tell", she smiles cleverly.

"Am I that obvious?" I ask a bit worried. If my Mum can tell, then what if everyone else can too?

"No", Mum comforts me, "You're not obvious, Darling. But mums can usually see these things just because we're mums. So do you want to steady with him?"

"Mum!" I giggle and turn red, "It's kind of awkward if you ask me that question?"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry", she says kindly as she pulls into the parking lot of SCSY, "But if you ever want to talk, I'm willing to listen".

"Thanks, Mum" I give her a quick peck on the cheek as I get out of the car.

"What time do you want me to pick you up?" She asks me.

"I don't know how long it will take. I'll just call you. Bye!" I go into the building so Mum can drive away and she doesn't have to see me go with Scorpius.

Once Mum leaves I exit the building again and wait for Scorpius. After a couple minutes of waiting, I see his shiny black car pull into the parking lot and stop right in front of me. I get into his car but he doesn't greet me.

"What were you doing at Al's last night?" Is the first thing he asks to me.

"Well hello, it's good to see you too Scorpius", I say sarcastically.

Scorpius doesn't say anything for a couple minutes so neither do I. "How have you been?" He finally asks. Took him long enough.

"I've been well, thank you", I reply politely.

"So, um, what were you doing with Zabini last night?" He asks me again, I sigh because I know he isn't going to drop this. Although he isn't specific with his question as to _what_ exactly I was doing with Damien, I can understand perfectly well what he means with his question.

I sigh again, "I wasn't doing anything with Damien. I was staying over at the Potters and he was there too as well as 7 other people". I was expecting this interrogation so I didn't have a hard time with answering his questions.

"So, why were you two the only ones awake in the middle of the night?" He asks me a little sourly as he turns into another street.

"We were all sleeping when you called, Scorpius, and he probably heard my voice so he woke up to see what's going on", I tell him calmly.

"You were sleeping in the same room as him?" Scorpius asks a bit startled and upset.

"Yes, I was sleeping in the same room as him _and_ _nine other people_" I emphasize the last part.

Scorpius sighs out of relief, "Okay". I have no idea why he cares so much or why this bothers _him_ so much, but hey, he's supposed to have personality problems and maybe that's a part of it. "So did you have fun?" He asks after some silence. I can tell he's trying to make conversation. Funny how that used to be my job before.

"Yes I did. I had a lot of fun. James and Al had a barbeque party and my cousins Louis and Fred were there too", I say cheerfully. If Scorpius is going to try to make conversation with me, then I'm going talk to him too.

"Do you remember the barbeque party at Al's house the summer after 2nd year", He recalls.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what he's talking about because I really can't remember. It's been a while since that summer and there are always barbeques at the Potters. "I don't…" I say.

"Really?" He asks surprised. "Don't you remember, Al and I were making fun of your new haircut that summer", Scorpius smiles as he remembers.

"I really don't remember…" I say as I try to think back. "But why were you making fun of my hair, Scorpius", I jokingly demand.

"You cut it short, not too short but it was shoulder length", Scorpius chuckles. Wait! Scorpius chuckles? Scorpius Malfoy actually chuckles? He's happy! He's laughing! Well this is improvement! I'm so happy to see a happy expression on Scorpius's face that I could just hug him right now! And that would just be awkward…

"Oh yes!" I say remembering the hairstyle. Even though I don't remember many details of our time together that summer, I'm going to pretend I do, just to see him smile. "Yeah it was so hot that summer, I had to cut it".

"Do you remember how red your face would get in the heat?" Scorpius grins.

"Yeah! I remember that, but that doesn't happen anymore", I tell him. Now that, I truly did remember

"And you used to have so many freckles back then, and they would become so bright and prominent in the sun…" Now I feel like he's talking to himself more than me. I gaze at him as he talks. "And you'd tan so easily, and your hair would become so light, almost as light as your dad's, and it would have this gold tint in it in the sun when you turned your head in different angles…" I stare at Scorpius dumbstruck as I realize he remembers the little details about my appearance when I was only 12 years old. Scorpius realizes that I'm staring at him with my mouth hanging open, and he turns a bright crimson color that it looks like God had accidently attached a wrong face to such a pale body.

"How do you remember all this?" I ask softly.

"I don't know…" he replies slowly and I can tell he himself is confused about how he remembers this. We're both quiet again because it's so awkward that Scorpius pays attention to my appearance. Again, Scorpius is the one to break the silence, "How's Albus doing?" I don't know whether he's just trying to talk to me to end the awkwardness or he actually cares enough to ask how Al's doing.

"Al, um, Al's good…" I say a little lost as to what to say and I can tell that he is too because he only nods his head.

"So do you want to go to that coffee shop?" He asks and points at a large cafe as he turns into the parking lot of a mall.

"Sure", I say happily. Scorpius stops the car in front of a café that's also attached to the mall and waits for me to get out.

"Wait for me here, I'll go park the car. Or you can go inside, since it's really hot and I'll meet you there", he suggests dropping me off at the entrance.

"it's fine, I'll just come with you", I say.

"Available parking is all the way at the other end of the lot, Rose, just get off here, it's so hot anyways, go sit inside", he insists.

"It's okay, Scorpius, I won't melt in the heat", I joke.

"You'll get tired of walking", he adds.

"Scorpius! I'm not a fragile china doll! I'll be fine; it's just a short walk on a sunny day!" I laugh.

"Okay, if you say so…" Scorpius says warningly. Just like he had predicted, the parking lot was full and we found a parking at the very back. "Regret not getting off early?" Scorpius asks me as we walk across the large parking lot of the mall.

"Nope!" I reply energetically. Scorpius smirks. I noticed he isn't walking ahead of me very fast like he did when he offered to drive me home that day. This time, he's walking with me, even though we're not chatting a lot, he's still walking next to me, and I don't know if he can tell or not but I'm glad as ever.

"So, what's up?" I ask him when we sit on a table in the far corner with our cold frappes. I wasn't actually in the mood for anything since I had juice a short while ago, but Scorpius had just ordered for me when I went to the ladies room.

"Not much", Scorpius shrugs as he sips on his drink, "How 'bout you? How are your cousin Victoire's wedding preparations going? You're a bridesmaid, right?"

"Oh you remembered", I say mildly surprised that he remembers about the wedding and he remembers my cousin's name. I'm also really happy since he's the first person who's shown any interest in my role at Victoire and Teddy's wedding. Maybe that's because I haven't told him about it at least fifteen times.

"Victoire hasn't called me yet about that, so I really don't know what's going on yet. I should probably call her and ask her again if she needs any help, you know tell her she could count on me and stuff", I tell him truthfully.

"Oh, that seems like a good idea", he says since he doesn't know what else to say.

"So how come you wanted to see me today?" I ask him curiously.

Scorpius looks up at me, "Well aren't you supposed to be my buddy or something? Am I not supposed to meet you?" He says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's not what I meant", I quickly say, "We didn't meet for a while so I was just curious".

"Well if you don't want to see me, Rose, no one's forcing you to?" He snarls.

I sigh. "Scorpius you know that's not what I meant", I tell him calmly. Scorpius snorts and looks away. "You know, Al and James insisted I stay longer today, but I didn't and that's because I _wanted_ to meet you. I've been looking forward to seeing you for a while now". Scorpius suddenly turns his face to look at me. He almost smiles, I think, because I can't really read the expression on his face.

"It's just that, I keep thinking that, the only reason we're here right now is this stupid counseling thing. Rose, would you be sitting in a coffee shop with me just talking if you had never signed up to counsel at SCSY?" He asked me. I turned my head away because I really do not know the answer to that. He's right, this is through SCSY and I can't help but ask myself the same question. Would I have tried to become friends with Scorpius if I wasn't a volunteer? I had never even thought much about him until he became my buddy if you don't count the time that I liked him when I was younger.

"Scorpius…", I say slowly because I know he's disappointed at my lack of reply, "Scorpius, the truth is that I had never wanted to be a volunteer there", I tell him, he looks even more hurt and looks away, "And I never really planned to get so serious about this, but when I discovered that I have to befriend you, my mind changed. I don't think I would be as enthusiastic if it was someone other than you". Scorpius looks at me again and I can't really tell what he's thinking with his unusual expression. It's sort of surprised, a little relieved and yet sort of upset as well, or maybe it's happy. Now that I think about it, I can't really read _most_ expressions on his face "And once I started talking to you and getting to know you, I had made up my mind that I wanted to be around you more, get to know you better, you know".

I smile since Scorpius is at lost for words. "Are you just saying that to be nice or…?" He tries to make sure.

"No!" I say immediately. "I really meant what I said. You tried to push me away and you told me that you didn't want my friendship, and yet I'm sitting here with you" I point out.

"That's true", he says with a very small voice and slight smile…or maybe I'm just imaging the smile. I keep thinking Scorpius is going to smile or is smiling but maybe it's just my hope rather than reality. "Would you have been so determined if it was anyone other than me?"

I stop to think for a couple seconds. "No. Like I said before I don't think anyone would have drawn me to themselves as much as you do". Now I'm sure I have seen Scorpius Malfoy smile.

"How come?" He asks, "How come you find me so interesting?"

"I don't know!" I laugh but Scorpius doesn't. He doesn't even smile.

"Bu—" He begins.

"Let's not talk about this. Please. Let's talk about something else", I insist since I really don't want to complicate this conversion anymore than it already is.

"What do you want to talk about?" He asks as he just plays with the napkin in his hand.

"Umm… Tell me about you self", I say cheerfully as I sip my frappe, "What are your hobbies?"

"Uhhh" Scorpius thinks, "Getting high". I gasp. "I'm joking!" He laughs as he notices the panic look on my face.

"Are you?" I ask to make sure. Dear God, I hope he is.

"I am, Rose, I'm over that stuff", he chuckles again, "I was just messing with you".

I sigh out of relief and laugh, "You know, you're in an awfully good mood today. You're joking around and laughing".

"Do you like it better when I'm enraged?" He asks as he moves his straw around in the cup to melt the ice.

"I never said that", I pleasantly remind him.

"But just in general. Do you like me better when I'm like this?" He asks taking a sip of his drink and I do the same to mine.

"Well obviously! Did you expect me to say 'Scorpius, I love when you're a crazy madman who looks like he wants to throw me off a cliff!'?" Scorpius laughs at my comment.

"I would never do that. I don't think I could get _that_ angry at _you_!" He defends himself.

"Um, did you see yourself at our first meeting? You weren't exactly friendly" I chuckle remind him of that day, but Scorpius's happy expression fades away.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I wasn't mad at _you_? I _apologized_ for that!" He angrily says angrily grinding his teeth and raising his voice a bit.

"I was just joking", I insist.

"Yes well you've got a very _annoying_ sense of humor that's not always appreciated, Rose", he grumbles still a bit angry.

"You take everything so seriously", I sigh.

"You think everything's a joke!" He accuses me.

I count backwards from ten in my head to keep my cool. "Whatever, I don't want to talk about this".

"And there you go again! Avoiding every conversation that you think is too difficult for you. You're always looking for the easy way out!" He sneers.

I can't keep listening to this! "Excuse me! If I was looking for the easy way out, I wouldn't have made such an effort with you!" I remind him as I lose my own temper a bit. I can tell the people on the table near us are looking our way now. Thank God we're sitting on the table in the far corner.

"You always have to remind me of the _big favor _you're doing for me, don't you? You always have to say '_Be thankful I'm helping you'_ don't you?"

"I never said that _once_!" I reply angrily.

"I'm not _stupid_, Weasley! I can tell! And if you feel that way, then don't bother showing your face to me again. You'd probably be happier with '_Damien_' up your ass!" He snarls.

I get up from my seat, and storm off to the washroom in the far back of the café because I can't take it anymore. I'm not going to cry or yell back at him because I'm _sane_, unlike that bastard! He's so stupid! No matter how much I try, he's just so fucking dumb and angry all the time! I really hate Scorpius Malfoy; I don't know what I ever saw in him. He's so ugly and stupid and such a moron and an asshole! I hate him more than my cousin Dominique! I can't believe his last comment about Damien. That's rude and unacceptable! Before I realized, I was sitting in the stall and I had started crying. I hated myself more for crying right now because I was crying over Scorpius. Scorpius is just a stupid, deranged boy that doesn't even matter to me! It really bothers me that sometimes he's so sweet, and adorable, and nice, in his own way of course, and other times he's such a jerk. How am I supposed to keep up with someone so…_bipolar_? I sit in the stall for 15 minutes just crying when I hear a knock on the door of the stall that I'm in.

"Someone there?" A female voice asks. I open the door because I think all the other stalls are full and someone must really have to go, it would be rude of me to be in here when I don't even need to use this.

"You can use this one", I say as I get out. There is a young woman, probably mid to late twenties holding the hand of a little preschool girl. I'm wondering why she knocked on my door because i notice that all the other stalls are empty as well. Why did she knocked on my door when she could go in anyone of these? I go to the sink as the woman looks at me.

"Your boyfriend's outside", she says to me.

"What?" I look at her confused.

"That pale, blond boy…"she says.

"He's not my boyfriend", I quickly say. Imagine having a boyfriend like Scorpius…now that would just be a miserable and unhealthy relationship. Scorpius would be a horrible boyfriend; I'd have to feel sorry for anyone in any sort of relationship with him. "What about him?" I ask with a small voice.

"He asked me to tell you he's really sorry", she says kindly. "Is he a friend?" she asks.

"Yeah", I reply even though friendships aren't like this.

"Well, he asked me to give you this", she says handing me a napkin. Why does Scorpius want me to have a napkin? I look at it and see there is writing on the other side. So he wrote me a note? "Hope everything works out", she says before she takes her little daughter into the stall. Once they are in the stall and have locked their door, I turn the napkin over and stare at the writing.

_I'm sorry, Rose_

_I'm a stupid jerk_

_Please forgive me_

That's all it says. He keeps thinking that he can be mean and rude and obnoxious whenever he likes and I'll forgive him for it whenever he wants me too. Well that's not the case! This is Ronald Weasley's daughter here, not someone to forgive and get over things so easily! I sigh out of anger and storm outside to see him standing outside the women's room waiting for me.

"Rose! I'm—" He begins to say. I don't say anything. Instead, I rip up the piece of napkin with his apology on it and throw it in the garbage can near us. "Rose, please! Listen to—"

"Save it, Scorpius!" I growl.

"Rose, please" he tries to hold my arm but I yank it away. "Rose at least listen to—"

"No!" I say angrily, "I don't want to listen!"

"Come on Rose!" he says through gritted teeth, losing his temper again. I can hear the anger in his voice and see it in his eyes as tries to hold my shoulder to stop me. "Don't you dare walk aw—".

"I'm going!" I yell as I turn around to leave. Who the hell does he think he is? Just as I begin to walk away, I feel my arm being yanked so hard that I thought it would fall off. "Ow!" I cry in pain as Scorpius grabs me and pulls me into a small dark store room near the washroom. He locks the door and pushes me so hard agaist the wall that I can feel the pain on my back and on the back of my head from hitting the wall. "Get away from me Malfoy!" I yell as I try to hit him and push him away. He grabs my arms and pins me harder against the cold brick wall.

"No! You're not leaving until you listen to me!" He grumbles loudly. He's so close that I can smell the mint and the coffee in aromas in his breath and the musky smell of his body. I feel intimidated, scared and uncomfortable, because he's holding my arms against the wall and his body is pressing tightly on to mine. I can even feel his chest moving in and out with every breath he takes and I'm sure he can feel my breasts heaving as well from breathing so furiously since I'm frightened out of my mind. I gasp and moan because he's practiacally suffocating me between the wall and his own body.

"Let go of me! I can't breath!" I panic and gasp. I'm slightly claustraphobic and this is my worst nightmare, being in a small, cold storage room, pressed against the wall by this mental boy. Why is he doing this? What is he going to do to me? Slap me across the face or something? Is he going to shout at me? Or strangle me? Is he going to jinx me, or hex me? I'm panicking, my spit is caught in my throat and I can't feel my arms because they are so numb from his tight grip.

"I told you to listen to me!" He growls angrily at me.

"Let me go!" I start screaming and squirming furiously in his grip. I feel dizzy and and I'm in pain everywhere. I wish I hadn't come here with him. I wish I was at home. I really wish my mum was here right now, she would hex him into oblivion for even touching me. I really wish I had stayed at the Potters when Ben and Eric and Al were begging me to. I wish I had told my Mum about today's plans, even though she would have fought with me and argued, she wouldn't have let me go, I really wished I had taken action based on what I know about her judgment. I want to start bawling and shouting because I don't like the feeling of being pinned up against the wall by Scorpius Malfoy pushing tightly on me, I'm uncomfortable by the lack of space between us and scared of it as well because i can barely breath.

"Get off of me!" I gasp and breath heavily as i try to scream. My mind is spinning and i don't know what to think or do. All i know is that I want Scorpius to let go of me. I want to run away.

"Sshh. Listen to me", he tries to calm me down. He's noticed my panic and if he doesn't realize that i might be claustraphobic, then he's an idiot!

"No! Get away! I'm going to scream!" I try to push him and kick him but he only presses harder on me. I try to scream loud but my voice is caught in my throat and I panic even more as i struggle.

"Rose! Sh! Calm down!" he says as he tries to get me to stop moving and stop struggling.

"No! I'll yell! Stop it! I can't breath", I yell as I try to kick him. I'm getting a headache, I gasp and breath heavily, and my vision blurs. I feel dizzy, like i'm going to hyperventilate or even faint as I struggle of his grip.

"I'm not holding you _that_ tight, Rose! Stop panicking! Deep breath, Rose, Deep breath. Stop, Rose", He tries to calm me.

"Let go! Let go!" I panic as I fail to move due to his tight hold. The fact that i can't move my body, that I don't have any control over it right now makes my mind spin giving me a headache. I can't think properly anymore. I don't realize where i'm standing. But I can't stop struggling, I feel like i'm going to faint. I just want to be let go.

"Rose! Rose! Sh! Quiet! Take a deep breath!" He orders me trying to keep his own cool.

I'm about to scream for help but he realizes what I'm going to do and immediately let's go of my left arm and presses his hand to my mouth. "ssshhh" he says. I try to push him with my now free arm but he doesn't move. After a couple seconds he slowly and gently removes his hand from my mouth. I gasp and sigh to trick him into thinking I am calm, but there is no way I'm not going to scream.

"HEL—" I was about to scream when all of a sudden Scorpius angrily slams the wall next to my head with the palm of his hand. The shelf shakes and the cleaning supplies look like they are about too fall off the shelves, but they don't.

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up!" He yells. He hits the wall again and i let out a small scream my left hand still on his chest trying to increase the space between us. I had screamed because he slammed the wall right next to my head and i can hear the loud thump in my left ear, which frightens me. I can't believe no one can hear us. It's probably because the walls of this store room won't let any sound out. Plus it's at another part of the cafe, at the back. I close my eyes and pray to be out of this situation as soon as possible. I can feel my senses come back to my body. I can feel myself relax a bit. I see scorpius breathing heavily as he tries to calm himself before he accidently hits me or something. I don't say anything until i can see that he's got complete control over himself again.

"Scorpius, you're hurting me!" I say in a small and frightened voice as I try to push him off again with my free left arm, but he's stronger than me so he doesn't budge. I hate the fact that his body is closing in to mine. I feel like my insides are going to burst and pop out. Like I'm going to suffocate. Like I'm in a room where the walls are closing in on me and they're going to crush me, and there is no door for me to escape. I pray for someone to come around to this corner of the very large café, or an employee to come in here

"Listen to me", he orders sternly, glaring into my eyes, causing mine to tear up. But then suddenly to my surprise, his expression softens when he sees my wet eyes and realizes how much pain he has caused me and how scared he has made me, and he loosens his grip a little when he sees my frightened eyes full of tears. It's like he had lost his senses for a couple minutes and they had just returned. His piercing grey eyes don't seem so horrifying anymore, they look resentful, almost sad even. Since he eased his grip on my arms, the numbness from his tight hold is slowly turning into slight pain. "I'm sorry", he says quietly as he looks into my wet and blurry eyes. "Oh Rose", he whispers with regret and sorrow in his eyes, "Are you okay? I didn't mean for this to happen. Rose, I'm so sorry I hurt you, Rosie, please don't cry…" he says to me gently as he strokes and rubs the part of my arm that he bruised. My eyes are wide open because this sudden behaviour change frightens me even more, and i know he can tell how much i'm shaking out of fear. He looks like my tears are causing him unbearable pain, but he deserves the pain, in fact he deserves to be locked up in a cage somewhere. I don't say anything to him because I'm angry at him but I'm still a afraid of what his reaction might be to anything I say, instead I turn my head to the side and I can feel his hot breath on my cheek. "Rose…" he says again as he puts my hair behind my ear and whispers softly in my ear. I can feel his hot breath on my earlobe, but i only breath heavily because i'm in a state of shock and I don't reply so Scorpius doesn't say anything more either. He, finally, completely let's go of his grip on me and takes a step back. I sigh again, out of relief this time, as I'm finally able to breathe and move my body. He unlocks the door as he holds onto my arm, a little more gently this time. And when he sees that the coast is clear, he pulls me out of the little room. I sigh as i feel a bit more relaxed to be in a more spacious room now. I don't say anything because if i open my mouth, I'm going to start bawling like a baby. I rest my head back on the wall as i sigh again, and i can feel Scorpius looking at me as we're both silent now. "I don't know what got int—" he finally begins to say as he gently takes my hand and softly rubs the back of it.

I jerk my hand away because I'm so disgusted by him. I'm so disgusted by what had just happened. Just then, the lady with the little girl comes out of the ladies room. She smiles at me, almost pitifully i think, because she can see the wetness in my eyes, but I'm unable to return that smile because I'm so upset. I don't want to smile at her because i resent that she couldn't come out earlier, and even if i tried, i know i wouldn't be able to with out breaking down. I'm shocked at what just happened. Scorpius had no right to get into my personal space like that. I'm scared because he could have seriously hurt me. I'm scared because i was in that tiny little storage room with him. I'm angry because he had no reason to do any of this, it's not like i did anything to offend him. I'm angry at myself even, because of how stupid I am, for seeing anything good in him, and for trusting him and coming here with him. But most of all I'm frightened by his sudden mood change. It's abnormal. He looked like he wanted to strangle me and now he's caressing my hand and stroking my arm? That's sickening! He's a nutter! A wild animal that should be locked away! Without saying anything, I turn around and begin to walk away, letting the tears that I had tried so hard to hold back, quietly fall down my cheeks. I can hear Scorpius sigh as he watches me go because he knows this is the last he'll be seeing of me.

**A/N: So what did you guys think of the last scene with Scorpius practically assaulting Rose. What did you guys think of his odd behaviour? I hope you liked this chapter, it's a bit more intense than the other ones. Thanks for reading and please please please review! It'll only motivate me to write more! Thanks**


	11. The Great Depression of Rose Weasley

I had no idea where to go. My body was shaking from the fear and shock of what had just happened. I was crying because I had no idea what else to do. He had grasped my arm so tightly that a purple bruise had appeared on that part. My mind was spinning as I kept on replaying that scene in my head. I closed my eyes and I could still feel my self suffocate from being pressed so hard against the wall by him. I could still feel his rough body squeezing mine. I could still smell Scorpius's musky and minty scents and hear his anger. I could still see the rage in his grey eyes. I cried because I'm so thankful I didn't get seriously hurt, but I cried even more because I could have. I left the large cafe through the door that leads me into the mall. I folded my arms around my body and kept my head down as I pushed past people and looked for a washroom or a bench where I could sit or something. I did find a bench near the fountain, and thankfully, no one was sitting on it, which is surprising seeing the rush today. I took a seat on the bench and immediately started crying quietly again. I could see the children playing by the beautiful water fountain stop and look at me. I saw people walking past me also look at me. I didn't care, though. I was still horrified by the events at the cafe that I didn't care about anyone. I can't believe what he said about me regarding Damien. That comment completely disgusted me; it was so rude and inappropriate. I could never think of something like that with _Damien_. I can't believe how selfish and ungrateful he is. I tried so hard to be gentle and caring and sympathetic with him. I tried so hard to make him happy, even though he is nothing more than a classmate to me. I can't believe he even dared to touch me! Who does he think he is? But, I'm shocked by his sudden behaviour change, the fact that his tight, painful grip on my arm had instantly turned into a soft caress of my arm frightens me even more. He was a whole other person at that moment. It's abnormal. Scorpius Malfoy is abnormal.

I wipe my eyes, which are puffy and red now, just like my nose. I want to go home, I just want to lay my head on my Mum's lap and hear her tell me everything will be alright. But I'm scared to call her. How am I going to explain everything? If I tell her the truth, she's going to want to report this to the Ministry, what if Scorpius is charged with assault and is sent to Azkaban. I don't want him to go to Azkaban, even though he had hurt me today, even though he was rude to me, and treated me unfairly, I don't want him to go to Azkaban! What if he has to be kissed by a dementor? I don't want him to lose his soul! I get up from the bench that I was sitting on and try to find the exit to the mall. Just then I feel a tap on my shoulder.

"Rose?" The male voice says. I turn around to see who it is.

"Rose, what are you doing here?" Jake Macmillan asks me cheerfully. His expression suddenly changes as he sees the upset look on my face. "Rose, are you okay?" He asks concerned since he can see that I've been crying. I don't say anything because I don't know what to say. "Rose, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" He asks me even more worried now. At that moment, I don't know what got into me but I just started crying, right there in front of him. "Oh, Rose!" He says slowly as he hugs me. I didn't realize how much I needed a friend or someone to talk to right now. I cry on Jakes shoulder and he pats me on my back to comfort me. Before I realized, I was bawling like mad, and I was gasping for air because I couldn't breathe from all the crying. If people were staring right now, I couldn't care less.

"Rose!" Jake says as he helps me to a bench. "Rose! Pull yourself together! Here have some water!" He says as he tries to get some of his water from his water bottle down my throat. But I don't drink it, because I'm shaking like mad and it spills all over me. I gasp and breathe heavily. My head feels dizzy and I try to talk to Jake as I cry but my words aren't coming out right, which frightens him. My hands and feet are numb and I can't feel them anymore, so I collapse but Jake catches me. I can't see much, everything is blurry but I can make out Jake holding something to his ear. A phone maybe? And my head feels light before turning into a massive headache. I feel dizzy again as my bawling decreases. I gasp for air and I can only make out a look of utter terror on Jakes face. "Help!" is the last thing I hear from him. And that's when I realized that I was hyperventilating...

...

"There, there", I hear a kind woman say as she pats my head. I slowly open my eyes to see that I have woken in a white room with a couple of beds across the room in a line. The lady who must have patted my head is also wearing white clothes. That's when I realize where I am. I'm in the emergency room. That must be why I'm wearing an oxygen mask. I try to lift my head up to see what's going on and I see my Dad talking to one of the nice, white clothed ladies in the corner. My Dad? I wonder where he came from? I see my Mum sitting on a chair with her face buried in her hands and Jake MacMillan sitting next to her trying to comfort her. I try hard to remember what he's doing here. None of them notice that I'm awake until I try to sit up. Mum looks up; she stares at me dumbstruck for a second, and then rushes over to me.

"Oh, Rose!" She hugs me and cries. I hug her back when I sit up and the nice lady and my Dad notice too. The nurse takes off my oxygen mask and my Dad strokes my hair, both of them so relieved to see me. When I sit up, I realize that I am not wearing my jeans anymore. I'm wearing some lose cotton pants that are so comfy, but I'm still wearing my cami. What had happened? How did I get here? I try to remember the events of earlier today and it slowly starts to come back. I remember Scorpius, I remember his furious glare. I shudder at the thought. I remember him hurting my arm and I remember him pressing his strong body on to my weaker one. I remember leaving the cafe and entering the mall. The last thing I remember is the looking at the large fountain in the mall.

"Rose. What happened?" My Dad asks as he puts and arm around my Mum who's shaking from all the crying. She wipes her eyes and sniffles and looks at me.

"Rose, Jake had called—" she begins to say.

"Why's Jake here?" I ask truthfully. I can only remember a tap on my shoulder and his face when I turn around to look, and that had taken me a while. They stare at me a little shocked and a little worried. "What are you doing here, Jake?" I ask him, "Aren't you working today?"

He and my parents exchange looks of worry. "Um, Rose, do you, um, remember how you got here?" He asks me nervously.

I think for a moment. I don't remember anything after the fountain and the tap on my shoulder and his face. "I don't remember what that happened. I only remember running into the mall and sitting on the bench across from the fountain, and you tapping me on my shoulder...and that's about it" I say truthfully.

"Rose, Sweetheart, how did you end up in the mall anyway? Aren't you supposed to be at—" Mum begins to ask.

"No", I say flatly because I do remember everything before, "I finished early so I came here", I tell her. I don't know whether I should tell her about what happened with Scorpius. I decide that I probably shouldn't say anything here, not in front of Jake, my dad and the nurses.

"Do you remember why you were crying and screaming?" Dad asks me. Jake must have told my parents everything.

I do remember why I was so upset. Scorpius had attacked me. I was traumatized and frightened and I had no idea how to handle being in such a tight and enclosed space. But I couldn't say anything, not here. "No, I don't remember", I sigh, "But I remember I had a headache, and I was feeling so dizzy. And I couldn't see anything or hear anything..." I start talking without realizing. I sigh and nobody says anything. "Can we go home now?" I ask my Mum. I felt worse being here. I just want to go lie in my bed.

"Yes. Yes, of course", Mum says. Dad goes to the nurse to ask her and she said it would be fine if we go. Mum Dad and I thank Jake for his help and he leaves shortly afterwards as well. I change back into my own pants and Mum helps me as we walk to the exit. She hugs me while we wait for my Dad to bring the car here. Once he does, she helps me get in first and then gets in herself. She doesn't sit in the front seat today but rather in the back with me. She places an arm around me and I rest my head on her shoulder. I can smell her calming scent, the scent that has befriended me since I took my first breath in this world. I feel so drowsy I just close my eyes and she kisses my head. I can hear her talk to Dad worriedly when they think I'm asleep.

"Must be the heat", Dad says.

"You can't hyperventilate from the heat, though", Mum points out.

"Do you think she's stressed about something?" Dad asks.

"I don't know, but it could be anxiety as well", Mum says.

"Is something bothering her?"

"I have no idea..."

"Well, find out, Hermione, you're the Mum, you're supposed to know everything", Dad says. Mum sighs.

...

I lie in my bed in my room underneath the blanket. I'm so tired but I can't fall asleep, because I have so much on my mind. Hugo had come to my room and started hugging me for a long time and apologized for everything he could think of. I had to remind him that I'm not dying here and I could swear that I heard sniffling from him. I just smiled at him and patted him on the head. I find it really sweet that he keeps checking up on me and asking me if there's anything he can do, like fluff my pillows or get me something to eat. To think about it, I haven't really had anything since breakfast and it's the afternoon, but I'm not very hungry. I keep thinking about Scorpius. There is no way in hell that I'm continuing with SCSY because I never want to see that bastard's ugly face again.

I have even told my Mum that I have a lot going on right now, even though it's a lie. I told her I'm very occupied and I've got a lot of other things on my mind so I don't want to continue with SCSY. She doesn't suspect that my attack could be because of my 'buddy' and she believes that I hyperventilated and fainted because I'm so stressed about other things. So she calls Alice Tandra and explains the whole situation to her. Of course Alice finds it a shame that I can't continue but who the hell cares what she thinks. She wishes us well and wishes me a happy recovery. I don't know why everyone thinks I'm ill or something. Everyone is acting like I'm _not_ normal and fine when I really am.

I'm lying in my bed and I close my eyes as I'm finally able to fall asleep, but I open them immediately. Everytime I close my eyes, I can see Scorpius's rage. I feel like he's on top of me, suffocating me again. Whenever I close my eyes I can feel the numbness and the pain on my arm, even though it's not being gripped anymore. Everytime I try to push the thoughts away I can still hear his voice and feel his touch and that makes me hate him more than anything.

I have no idea whether I should tell anyone what happened. I don't even know how I'm going to recount the story to my mum without possibly fainting again or even throwing up. I don't know how my Mum's going to react. She might get angry at me as well for going out for coffee with him and lying when I was supposed to be at SCSY. She knows that I know she wouldn't approve of meeting somewhere else other than the Centre. But the truth is; I don't want to tell her because I really don't want to recount that horrible disaster again. It's quite traumatic being manhandled like that and struggling to be free and breath, and add my Claustrophobia to that making it ten times more horrifying, and I don't think I have the courage to remember all the details again, at least not yet.

This time, my parents hadn't informed the whole family about what happened to me, since I told them I don't want anyone knowing. I don't want anyone questioning me or getting any weird thoughts and suspicions or something of that sort. Jake was also kind enough to keep the whole situation to himself. Even though I never asked him to, he didn't tell anyone, and I'm thankful for that. I'm in no mood to do any explaining to anyone and it's not like I vividly remember how I hyperventilated and what happened anyway. But I would rather remember that clearly than Scorpius hurting me, since that was much more painful, physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Scorpius had called me many times throughout the last couple days. He left numerous voice messages that I did not care for. So I deleted them all without listening. For the next couple days, I mostly stayed in my room, since I was so depressed. I still had a bump on the back of my head, but it didn't hurt as much anymore. Plus my hair covered it up pretty well. I had to wear a full sleeves t-shirt everywhere so no one could see the bruise on my arm because it's dark purple now. My family found it a bit weird though since I'm always complaining about how hot it is. Whatever. I just stayed in my bed and flipped through television channels all day long, even though I wasn't interested in watching TV. It has been a couple days since last Sunday and no one has tried to ask me anything about why I had a break down at the mall. I know Dad's been urging Mum to ask me and try to find out but she thinks it's too early. I think so too. Mum had told my best friend Emma that I was depressed without too many details so Emma stayed over a couple nights ago. She tried to talk to me and she tried to lift my mood and cheer me up, but she failed. Miserably. She talked to my Mum in the kitchen over tea about it while I was in my room when they thought I was sleeping; I wasn't, and my door was open so I could hear everything.

"Is she seeing anyone?" Mum asks Emma, clearly forgetting that I like Eric so I wouldn't really be seeing anyone else right now.

"No. If she was, she would tell me. I don't think it's because of a bad boyfriend or a bad relationship or something", Emma says.

"Did she have a fight with anyone", Mum asks.

"Nope. At least not with friends. Did she get into an argument with you?" Emma replies.

"Not with me. Or Ron. I talked to Hugo and he said he got mad at her a couple days ago for bossing him around but she doesn't usually get mad over _that_".

I felt bad to leave them all hanging like this, but I couldn't tell them the truth. I just couldn't. The fact that I was lying to those who love me and are so worried about me, depressed me even more. So I just started crying to myself. I felt lonely because I can't really talk to anyone, not about this, not yet, I'm not ready yet. And who knows what the consequences might be if someone finds out. For me and for Scorpius. So all I could do was cry but I didn't let anyone see my tears. So I quickly wiped them whenever I heard someone come near my room.

By Friday, My mood had become much better. I had decided to get out of my room and even played some Quidditch with Hugo. Mum had taken us to a Quidditch Lawn, far away from this Muggle area we live in. Since we can't play in our backyard like the Potters. Hugos always begging me to play with him and I always promise that I'll play with him later but never end up doing so. So I was surprised at myself when I was the one who asked him to play with me. He excitedly agreed, but he kept on letting me win because I've been so sad lately. I found it really sweet at first but it got annoying and I had to tell him off because it would only weaken my skills. Once we started playing properly, I found myself to be enjoying the game and the beautiful afternoon.

Once we were home again that evening, I had nothing to so I decided to lounge on my favourite couch and watch some television. That vampire show that I was watching a couple weeks ago was on again so I switched to that channel. It's been a while since I've seen it and I wonder where the story is now. Hugo came to sit down and watch TV with me but he didn't complain about what we're watching, which is unusual since he hates this show. He's watching quietly today, but maybe it's because it's getting really interesting. The sexy vampire has gone mentally crazy and he's drinking the blood of the girl he loves. He's not in his usual senses and doesn't realize that he's hurting the one he loves so much. And she doesn't scream or anything. She just tries to comfort him and get him to realize it's her, his lover, that he's draining the life out of. She whimpers as she tells him how much he's hurting her and that this is not him, that he's not like this. It's quite sad really. But then he stops and realizes what he's done, and he falls on his knees and apologizes for hurting her. He feels miserable as he caresses her face with his hands and tells her how sorry he is, so emotionally...That's when I switch the channel. I don't know why but I can't continue watching that. It's making me sick to my stomach. I don't know why, it could be the blood or something but it's making me sick and giving me a headache.

"That was disgusting!" Hugo exclaims clearly talking about the blood part as I flip channels.

"I know", I mumble agreeing with him.

Just then, Mum pokes her head in the TV lounge, "Rose, I think you should have a little something to eat, Dear", she says. Now that I think about it, I'm really hungry since I haven't been eating much for the past couple days. "Would you like a sandwich or something?" She asks me.

"Yes please!" I say as I follow her into the kitchen. I don't know why I did it, but I gave my Mum a big hug. Of course she hugged me back and I think she knew what I was thinking. No matter how much I like to pretend I don't, I really need my mother.

...

Of course my cell phone was full of missed calls and voice messages from Scorpius. He called nine times that Sunday night and left five voice messages. But I deleted them with without even listening to them. I was extremely upset since the events from earlier that day were still fresh in my mind. When I woke up Monday morning, there were five more missed calls and two more voice messages from him. Some of them were sent at times like 3:15 am, 5:40 am, and 7:20 am. I feel better knowing that he can't, and probably won't be sleeping peacefully for a while. Like all the other messages, I deleted these without thinking about them for even a second. He had annoyed me so much all throughout Monday that I deleted him off my list of contacts and turned my phone off for the next couple days.

Tonight, on Friday, I had finally decided to turn my phone back on. As I skim through the missed calls, I see Scorpius's name on the whole list, along with many from an unknown number. I'm absolutely sure that he's also called from a number that won't say his name on the caller ID so he can trick me into picking up. He thinks he can outsmart me, but I'm Hermione Weasley's daughter, and a Malfoy can't be smarter than me. Gee, I'm becoming so cocky lately. Scorpius Malfoy must be rubbing his negativity on me. There are also some missed calls and text messages from Jake, who's asking how I'm doing. It's very sweet of him. I reply to let him know I'm doing much better. I also have a couple missed calls from Emma as well. She was probably also wondering how I'm doing since she's the only one who knows about my depression aside from Jake, and I'm sure my Mum put her up to the task of finding out what happened. I check my text messages and there are none from Malfoy, to my surprise. Odd. He only calls, but doesn't text or something. I couldn't care less though. There are numerous from Priya, who had let me know that she's not grounded anymore, she's finally free and we all should get together and celebrate and hang out. There were a couple messages from Louis who kept reminding me to talk to Bonnie. In fact, he's left some voice messages too and he sounds very anxious. I make a mental note to figure the situation out soon. There are a couple messages from Bonnie as well, who keeps asking me about a party and whether I'm going or not. I honestly have no idea what she's talking about or who's having a party since I've received no invitation from anyone. I make another mental note to call her later and inquire about this supposed party. Emma had also left a few text messages asking me how I'm doing and how I'm feeling. She also tells me I should go on Saturday since it'll help me get my mind off things. I don't know what she's talking about there but I'm guessing it's this party. There are some text messages from James, Al and Ben as well asking me what I'm doing tomorrow night and whether I'm going. What the hell are they talking about? Going where? Who's party? All my friends seem to be invited but I don't even know what the hell they're talking about. I'm getting really mad because I seem to be the only one who doesn't know. Finally at the bottom of the list, I'm pleasantly surprised to see a message from Eric. Oh Eric! This is the first time _he's_ ever sent me a text message first! I've always been the one to message him first, of course he would reply nicely, but it doesn't feel as good as having him send me one first. I regret turning my phone off because this message is three days old. I could have replied to him earlier! Oh Merlin. I hate Scorpius even more now. As I read his message with a big smile on my face, I finally discover what everyone's been talking about.

_Hey Wat up?_

_havin a jam at my place Saturday nite._

_Wanna come?_

Of course I want to come, Sweet Eric! How can I not go? The boy of my dreams is having a party, and he's inviting me! How am I going to reject that? My mood has perked up a lot and I don't think I'm going to spend my time sulking over Scorpius anymore. I'm going to go out and have fun...With Eric! So I quickly send Eric a reply.

_Yeah baby!_

_Wat time? I'll be there_

I bite my lips so I don't start screaming out of excitement. I quickly call Bonnie and Emma who adds Priya in and we do a four-way.

"This is your chance, Rose!" Bonnie squeals.

"I know! It's like someone up there really loves me", I joke, making the other three laugh.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so excited. Just got UN-grounded and I'm going to a party! You better kiss him!" Priya orders.

"I don't wanna kiss him first..." I say unsure, "I mean; it might be awkward you know".

"Yes, but judging by what you told us about the sleepover, I think he's totally into you!" Emma encourages.

"I don't know, I don't think he's into me like that. I think he only thinks I'm cute or something", I explain.

"I think you might be right, Rose", Bonnie says, "You did say he was kind of shocked when he saw you in a wet towel. Maybe he's just physically attracted to you. But that is the first step, isn't it guys?"

Emma and Priya both agreed. "Talk to him tomorrow", Emma suggests, "Like any other friend".

"But that's hard!" I exclaim.

"Pretend he's Ben!" Priya suggests, "Pretend that you're talking to Ben and talk to Eric the way you talk to him".

"I can't be that way with Eric!" I say thinking they've all lost it. "Ben's different, he's so playful and happy and so easy".

"Well Eric isn't much different, you know", Bonnie says. "The way we see it, he's really much like Ben and James. He just seems nerve-racking to you since you lurvvve him".

"I don't _love_ him!" I defend myself. I like Eric a lot but I don't love him, at least not yet.

Just then, my phone starts beeping and I look to see that Eric's calling me. Eric's calling me? "Guys, I gotta go! Eric's calling!" I tell them excitedly. They squeal gleefully and tell me to hurry and pick up.

"Hello", I say nervously when I end my call with the girls and receive his call.

"Hey, Rose! Where have you been, I've been texting you and you don't reply", He asks.

"My phone was screwed, just got it fixed", I lie. I'm just glad he's wanted to talk to me, "So what's this party thing you've got everyone talking about?" I change the topic.

"Oh! Yeah, my parents are in Ireland for a week attending a wedding, and Lisa's staying at her muggle boyfriend's dorm at his school, so I have the house all to myself", he tells me excitedly. Lisa is Eric's older sister who's 21 years old and dating a 22 year old muggle university student. I've never personally met him but I have met Lisa. She's very pretty and a lot of boys had a crush on her back when she was at Hogwarts. But she's very nice as well and tutored Al, Scorpius, and Donny and a bunch of other kids back when we were in our primary years at the Hogwarts and she was in her senior years.

"I'm so excited!" I exclaim.

"So you're coming? Be there by nine", Eric tells me without waiting for me to reply. "We're going to have firewhiskey and some Muggle drinks as well", he says but he quickly adds, "But you don't have to drink if you don't want to, I know you're still underage", he teases me with the underage part.

"Technically, _you_ can't drink the muggle stuff either. You have to be 18 for that stuff", I tease him back.

"Whatever, who care's", he laughs.

"So who's coming?" I ask him.

"Um", he thinks, "Mostly people from school, mostly the people in my year and your year and maybe a bunch of cool 5th years as well. I invited Nick's sister too", He tells me. Nick Longbottom is another Gryffindor in my year.

"Oh, how come?" I ask. I hope he's not interested in her. He can't be, he's mine.

"Al, called me like 10 times ever since he found out about the party, he's been begging me to invite her too", I hear Eric tell me as he laughs.

"Yeah, he's really into Arielle", I agree. I get the idea to ask his opinion. See what he thinks, could be interesting, "Do you think she's pretty?"

"Um", Eric thinks again, "Sure. I guess...But there's always someone even prettier", he says.

"Oh yeah?" I say smiling.

"Uh huh..." He says slowly. We're both quiet for a couple seconds. "So, you're gonna come, right?" He makes sure.

"Yeah definitely!" I say. I wouldn't miss Eric's party for the world. Maybe I can show him that there's so much more to me, and maybe he might fall for me.

"Well I have to go, James is calling. And you know he won't stop until I pick up", he says.

"Yeah. Me too, My girls are on hold too", I say wanting to sound like I'm not always available for him. I don't want to seem too desperate since boys usually get freaked out and run away from clingy girls. I was going to use this strategy on him; it had worked on Scorpius too...Scorpius! Why does that damn boy keep popping up in my head? I have to put him in the back of my mind for good. I've cancelled the volunteering and now I'm going to have fun with my summer the way I want to. I'm not going to think about Scorpius anymore. I'm never going to see him again. I'm just going to enjoy the rest of my summer...with Eric, Firewhiskey, and lots of partying.


	12. To Eric's House Party We Go

**A/N: Hi everyone, I just want to take a moment to give a shout out to the reviewer, cami, who has been leaving a review for every chapter from chapter 5 and beyond. cami, I want you to know I love reading about your thoughts and guesses about what's going to happen next. Thanks for the reviews. I also want to thank everyone else who has reviewed my story. I appreciate the reviews a lot and I'm very glad you like this story. Thanks for your time guys and enjoy!**

"Rose! Help me!" Emma cried as she skimmed through my closets.

"Oh my gosh, Em! It's not a big deal!" Priya scolded her as she goes through and investigates my makeup.

"Um, excuse me, Albus is going to be there…duh!" She reminds us as if we're so dumb.

"Um, about tha—" I begin to say as I brush my hair.

"Let's just go to London!" Bonnie suggests. She's sitting on my computer on some muggle social networking website.

"Yes!" Emma agreed.

"I'll ask my Mum, if she can drive us to the mall, I have no idea what to wear either".

"Shut up, Rose, you've got loads you can wear!" Emma says as she starts pulling out some skirts and sleeveless tops.

"Rose, you've got to throw this out!" Priya says tossing my favorite lip gloss in the garbage can, "It's finished, you can't keep it forever!"

"Yeah, I've got to get another one of that color", I make a mental note to myself.

"So let's go", Bonnie says.

It's Saturday morning and Emma, Bonnie, and Priya are at my house and we're all complaining about having nothing to wear tonight. I ask my Mum if she can drive us to the mall so we can go shopping and she gladly agrees. I haven't told her about the party so I decide to tell her about it in the car.

"What time?" she asks us.

"Nine o'clock", I tell her.

"Don't be out too late", she says. My parents have always trusted me to be responsible so we've never really had a discussion about curfew since I'm usually home before midnight.

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley!" My friends say as we get out of the car. I give mum a quick kiss before I get out as well. We wave her goodbye and watch her leave before we enter the mall. I turn around and right there to my horror is the coffee shop that had haunted my dreams a couple nights ago. I start to feel sick to my stomach as I realize this is the same mall that I came to with Scorpius. I shudder and notice Emma, Bonnie, and Priya eyeing me as they notice my unusual expression.

"You okay?" Emma asks.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, let's go inside", I suggest and we go inside.

I soon forget about the coffee shop and Scorpius as we started shopping. We searched through racks of our favorite stores and visited the trying rooms countless times. Emma and Priya had a hard time finding something to please them and spent most of their time in the try rooms with numerous outfits. Emma had to dress to impress Al and Priya had to dress to impress…any hot guy really. I feel really guilty for not telling Emma about Al's feelings. I had tried to a few times but I just couldn't break her hopes. The truth is, I've been so busy with Scorpius and my depression and Eric—but mostly Scorpius—that it kept slipping my mind. I hate the fact that so many things just go back to stupid Scorpius. So now that Emma and Priya were attacking the change rooms, I finally got some time to talk to Bonnie alone as we searched through racks together in the far corner.

"So, Bon, how's it going with you and Louis?" I asked her casually.

"What?" she asks a bit surprised as she looks up at me. "Um, it's good, I mean, we haven't really seen each other for a while now".

"Oh, really?" I ask surprised even though I'm not. "How come?"

"I don't know, I guess I've just been busy", she says as she pulls out some pretty tops. "How's this one?" she asks me holding it up.

"Sexy!" I say and she smiles. "Remember, how I told you that I stayed over at Al's place last week?" I say.

"Yeah…" she looks at me again unsure where this is going.

"Well, he was there, and he was talking to me about it", I tell her.

"Oh my gosh! Really? What did he say?" she asks.

"He's really into you, you know, but he feels like you don't really like him. He's so worried", I tell her.

Bonnie sighs, "It's not that I don't like him…"

"Then what is it?" I ask her.

"It's hard to explain…" she says fidgeting the hangers.

"Don't worry, you can trust me", I assure her.

"Of course I trust you!" Bonnie says. She sighs again, "Okay. So here's the deal. I had a bet with Kylie, Olivia and Macy, right before OWL's. We had a bet to see who could get Louis Weasley first—"

"Bonnie!" I gasp, "You're playing with him?"

"No! No, let me explain. Okay so I managed to seduce him, but now he's getting really serious, and I'm starting to like him too but if I do get serious with him and he ever finds out, 'cause you know Kylie Montague can be a bitch, she'll probably tell him if she ever gets into a fight with me. I just don't want him to get his feelings hurt" Bonnie sighs again.

"So that's the deal?" I say.

"Yup", she says.

"I really think you should tell him the truth", I suggest.

"Are you out of you mind?" Bonnie asks startled, "He'll hate my guts!"

"No he won't!" I insist, "He'll eventually find out you know. I don't know how, but he'll find out. So you might as well tell him the truth first. But tell him you're really starting to like him now but you avoided him because you're beginning to really care about him and you didn't want to hurt him, but give him a choice or something".

"Do you think he'll end it, or would he want to continue seeing me?" She asks nervously.

"I have no idea, to be honest. I really don't. But Louis is not someone who'll do something irrational. I promise you that he'll listen to the whole thing first, take some time to think about it and then make his decision. He's different, he's really patient", I tell her truthfully.

"Of course he's patient, he's got a crazy, psychotic bitch for a sister! But I hope you're right", she sighs again.

"So you'll talk to him tonight?"

"Tonight!" she shrieks a little. "No way! I have to prepare for this!"

"Bonnie…" I begin to say, "He's not very hard to talk to".

"Fine, I'll talk to him tonight", she says but then pauses for a moment. "But you have to promise to dance with Eric", she smiles slyly.

"It's a deal", we shake on it and laugh.

Emma had finally found an outfit for tonight, a pair of dark blue super skinny jeans and a red corset like tube top with a god zipper down the back and some black flats since she can't wear heels for too long.

"Woah, Em!" we all exclaim as we stare at her top.

"Guys! Come on, don't make me feel guilty about this. I've never worn something this bold in my life. I think I'll do it just this once!" she laughs.

Priya had also found an outfit for herself as well. Black fitted short shorts and a baby pink silk sleeveless blouse. She bought some white wedges though, rather than flat shoes. I actually like Priya's purchases better, the top is classy, but the bottom is sexy, it's a good balance. After they paid, we went to another store where Bonnie and I searched for clothes for ourselves while the other two just flirted with these two really cute sales assistants that didn't look much older than us. Again, we both failed to find something except Bonnie who picked up a white, denim, little skirt. So once we finished searching, we decided it was time to move on, unfortunately for Emma and Priya since they were having so much fun giggling with those cute muggles. To our surprise, they actually exchanged phone numbers with them!

"Emma! When did you become so flirty?" we tease her, since she's usually very shy.

"Priya must be rubbing off on her", Bonnie laughs.

"Ha ha", she says sarcastically. "Bonnie, you're hilarious" she rolls her eyes.

After checking out some more stores, I finally see something that catches my eye. A black, fitted, high waist skirt and a subtle, golden, sequined, boat neck, loose blouse. I quickly grab the two pieces and run to the try room excitedly. I tuck the short shirt in my skirt and love the way it looks so fitted from high waist and below, but slightly loose above. I feel so sexy and powerful in this. Eric just has to notice me. He just has to. I show my friends who go crazy.

"You look so hot!" Bonnie exclaims.

"If I was Eric, I wouldn't waste my time! I'd just grab you and throw you on to my bed!" Priya laughs making me blush as we all giggle.

"I guess patience pays off", Emma says. I beam at them because I feel so pretty! I can just picture myself entering the room and taking Eric's breath away. Bonnie had also found a top to go with her skirt. She found an eggplant purple flowing cami that looked really good with the white skirt. Bonnie and I both found some heels to go with our outfits, not too high though. I got some nude peep toe pumps, and Bonnie got some sparkly black strappy heels. However we switched shoes with each other since hers looked better with my outfit and mine looked better with hers.

Once we finished shopping, we had some lunch at the food court. During lunch we talked excitedly about the party. My friends kept on urging me to dance with Eric tonight, to which I only blushed and said "we'll see". We also looked around for cute guys in the food court and saw that most of the good ones were with their girlfriends, which made Priya and Emma sad. After lunch, I called my Mum, who picked us up to take us back home. Once we got home, Priya had to floo back home immediately since her parents wanted to talk to her. I'm guessing they want to lecture her about coming home early and not doing anything inappropriate and all that good stuff. Bonnie was in my bathroom doing some stuff to her hair so it was just me and Emma in the room.

"So, um Emma?" I begin to say. I can't put it off any longer, I have to tell her.

"Yeah?" she asks me as she paints her toenails a dark maroon color.

"Remember how Al and I met up to talk in Diagon Alley a while ago?"

"Yeah, what happened with that?" she asks remembering.

"Oh, not much. We just talked about things and well, um, he said he, um, he sort of likes someone", I say nervously.

"Oh, really? Did he say he likes me?" she asks excitedly getting her hopes up.

"Well, he said, you're a really nice person. He says he wouldn't mind having a friend like you and he s—"

"Come on, Rose! Just say it!" she interrupts me.

I take a deep breath. "He wants to go steady with Arielle", I blurt out. Emma blinks at me and goes back to quietly painting her nails. "Em, are you upset?" I ask her.

"No", she says flatly. "I couldn't care less". This is unusual. I know she's sad but she won't show it, so I get up from off my bed and give her a big hug and she hugs me back. I take some red nail polish from my drawers and give her some company as we paint our nails.

…

"Emma, pass me my mascara, quickly!" Bonnie shrieks as she notices how uneven her lashes are.

"Hold on! I love this! Where did you get it from?" Emma asks as she quickly completes her eyes.

"The mall", Bonnie replies.

"Guys, should I do nude lipstick or red lipstick?" I ask them as I hold my two lipsticks.

"Neither", Bonnie says.

"I think you're right. I think lipstick would be way too bold. I'll go with sheer red lip gloss", I decide.

"Good idea!" Bonnie says, "It'll look good with your red nails".

"Bonnie you should put on some nude lip gloss", I suggest.

"You think so?" she makes sure.

"Yeah, it'll look so good on you, since you're tan and blond", I toss her my nude lip gloss. "You'll look like you just got off the airplane from California", I say making them laugh.

"Plus, it'll match your shoes", Emma adds in. She had taken the news of Al and Arielle much better than I thought. She didn't cry or sulk like I would have if Eric liked someone else. But then again, Emma is much more mature and sensible than me.

"Guys, hurry up", I say as I take one last look at my dark auburn curls. I had my Mum charm my wavy hair into beautiful large curls since curls look best on me. Emma had her thick brown hair straight, since there is so much of it, it doesn't look limp of or thin when it's straight, she got my Mum to charm it so it doesn't frizz in the humidity. Bonnie was going to have hers straight too but we all convinced her to do a beach wavy look since she already looks quite beach-y.

"Bonnie, Louis is going to faint when he sees you!" I squeal.

Bonnie looks tense now and I know why. "He's going to be fainting today anyways, whether I look good or not", she nervously mumbles under her breath.

"You're so lucky; you've got such a sexy boyfriend!" Emma whines. Bonnie laughs nervously as we put on our shoes. My shoes, the ones that had been originally Bonnie's, are really cool because they have satin ribbons that I can tie around my ankles and lower calf.

"So how are we getting there again?" Emma asks me.

"James is picking us up, we're driving there", I tell her.

"Oh okay", they say. We sit in the family room and take pictures together while we wait for James.

"How's Priya getting there?" I ask them.

"Her Mom wants to drive her there. Her parents are constantly on her tail now", Bonnie informs us.

"Wow, that kinda sucks", Emma say.

"Tell me about", Bonnie replies.

Just then, my cell phone starts ringing. "Hello", I say picking up.

"It's James, we're here", he says.

"Okay, we'll be right out!" I say before ending the call. We quickly say our goodbyes to my parents and I promise not to be out too late. James's car is parked in my driveway and I can make out the figure of someone sitting in the passenger seat.

"Oh No!" Emma sighs in a hushed tone. Al's sitting with James in the front and Emma has lost her voice.

"Come on, Em, its fine!" Bonnie insists. I had told Bonnie about Al having no interest in Emma so she doesn't say anything wrong by accident.

We walk towards the back seat when Al rolls down his window. "Damn!" he says as he sees Bonnie open the door to the back seat. "You girls look good!" Al says smiling.

"Shit! There are three of you? We thought there would only be two", James says. I poke my hand in to see Fred sitting in the back seat and realize there is no room for me.

"Oh crap", I say. "Bonnie, Em, you guys get in", I say to them.

"What about you?" Bonnie aska.

"Um", James says as he thinks. "I could come back for you", he suggests.

"Yeah I'm okay with that", I say. I didn't mind waiting. I've been waiting for a while to finally be noticed by Eric, it won't hurt to wait a little more.

"Rose, why don't you go, I'll wait", Bonnie offers.

"It's fine", I shrug cheerfully, "go ahead".

"You know what", James says as he gets an idea. "I'll call Ben, he'll come get you".

"Ben's already at Eric's", Al reminds him.

"He won't mind. Trust me", James says as he calls Ben. "It'll take too long for us to go there, and drop you all off and for me to come back here and take Rose there again". He says as he dials Ben's number and holds the phone to his ear. "Hello, Ben?" He says. "I need you to do something", he pauses, "Can you come get Rose. We thought it would just be Emma and her, so we picked Fred up too", James pauses again, "Can you? Thanks, man, I owe you one", He pauses again, and then laughs, "Fine, fine, I know. I owe you many!" He laughs again and ends the conversation. He turns to me. "Rose, would it be okay if Ben could come get you?" He asks me.

"Yes of course!" I say cheerfully. Why would it not be okay to get a ride with Ben? I love spending time with him.

"He won't be long", James assures me.

"M-maybe I c-could stay with Rose", Emma suggests nervously but Bonnie pulls her in the car and whispers something in her ear. Emma sighs out of relief and I wonder what Bonnie said to her.

"Rose, are you sure you don't mind?" James asks again.

"Yeah, we can always just kick Fred out and make him wait", Al says laughing.

"I wouldn't mind, really", Fred says.

"Guys, it's fine. Ben will be here soon. Go on!" I urge them. James pulls the car out of the driveway and stops.

"Are you sure, Rosie. I feel really bad leaving you here?" He calls out from his car.

"Yes! It's fine, I'll be with you guys soon! Now go!" I insist them.

"Bye, Rose! See you later" Al says waving out the window before pulling it back up as they drive away.

I sigh as I go back to my front porch to sit on the bench while I wait for Ben to come get me. I wonder what Bonnie told Emma just now. Emma took the news of Al much better than I thought and I'm afraid she's going to burst at the most unexpected moment. I really hope nothing goes wrong tonight. I'm dedicating my whole night to Eric tonight, sure I'm going to have fun and party, but I'm going to take a next step with Eric. I really want to change things tonight. Just then, my phone starts ringing loudly and I look down to see an unknown number. Of course I recognize the number, it has the last four number of Scorpius's number. It must be Scorpius calling. Ugh, stupid ass! I deleted him off my contacts so his number is going to show up as 'unknown' but I know his number so I can recognize it. I cancel the incoming call and he calls again. Why can't he just leave me alone! I can't turn my phone off incase James or Ben or someone calls. So I just keep cancelling. After five incoming calls from him, he finally stops calling me and my phone vibrates to let me know I have a new voicemail. Of course I delete it without listening because I do not want to listen to his stupid voice. I go back inside because I have to use the washroom. Mum and Dad ask why I'm still here so I explain the situation to them. Once I'm done using the washroom, I come back outside and wait some more for Ben. I finally see Ben's grey Lexus pull up in my driveway and I quickly rush to the car.

"Holy crap!" Ben gasps and exclaims when he sees me when I open the door of the passenger seat.

"Hi Ben", I smile.

"What's up?" He asks me as I put on my seatbelt.

"Not much. Thanks for coming to get me", I say.

"No problem", he says, "You look really…awesome!"

"Well, I guess awesome is good", I laugh.

"Looking to impress anyone, Rosie?" He teases me as we drive to Eric's.

"None of your business", I flick his shoulder.

"So you are! Come on tell me who", He insists.

"None of your business!" I say again as I smile gleefully thinking about Eric.

"What house is he in? Is he Gryffindor? Is he in your year?" He asks like a child begging to go to a candy store.

"Ben! Leave me alone", I whack him on the arm.

"Fine! No need to get so physical", he says.

"Thank you" I sigh.

"So who is it?"

"Ugh!" I sigh frustrated. I need to shut him up. "You!" I say so he'll stop pestering me.

"Oh come on, Rose, be serious", He says.

"I am serious. I have a massive crush on you", I tell him trying to hold back my laughter.

"Well, I wouldn't blame you", he says cockily. "But come on, Rose. Tell me who you've got your eye on".

"I'm telling you it's you, Benny. You're so freakin' sexy I dream about you every night and everyday!"

"Ha ha", he says sarcastically, "you're so funny".

I roll my eyes, "I know. I can't help it".

"Trust me, you would never have to dress up for me", he says in a matter-of-fact tone. I laugh because I don't know what else to say since I'm a little confused by what he means.

"So how many people are coming?" I ask him after a minute or so of silence.

"Um", he thinks, "When I left to come for you, there were only 15 people. There's probably more now".

"Who's invited? Who's there?" I ask him curiously.

"Lot's of people. You'll see when you get there", he says.

"How far is his house?" I ask, I hope I'm not getting too impatient.

"Not far, just a couple more streets", Ben says as he turns into lots of streets and roads.

"It's like he lives in a maze", I say making Ben laugh. We finally get there. There are a lot of people but there aren't loads of cars since a lot of the people just apparated or carpooled or flew here. Eric's house is really nice. It's not extremely big or anything, just the size of mine but it's very pretty. It's a white classy structure with brown roofs. I've only been to Eric's house once before. It was during the Easter break of my first year at Hogwarts and his second. He had a birthday party at a muggle arcade with all his friends, including me, and we had come back to his house for some cake.

Ben and I both get out of the car and we can hear loud music playing. It's a good thing his neighbors live farther apart so they can't hear, but I'm sure he placed the '_muffliato_' charm on his house, so people outside can't hear anything. I see Ben coming around to the other side and I see he's wearing a black button down shirt with his sleeves rolled up three quarters of the way that reveals his big silver watch, and a pair of dark blue jeans. He looks really good tonight.

"Let's go in", Ben says.

"Yeah", I say as we walk towards Eric's front porch together.

"Oh look, who's here" We hear a high pitch laugh from behind us. Both Ben and I turn around to see Dominique.

"Dominique", Ben says coldly acknowledging her presence. She's with her best friend and bitch-in-crime Ryla Vane, another 7th year Gryffindor and they seem to be waiting out here for someone.

"Ben, you look…dashing", Dominique says as she gets closer to him. I know she's just playing with him since she finds amusement in toying with other people's feelings. I just hope Ben is truly over her.

"You don't look bad yourself", he says without expression as he turns around. I have to admit, my cousin Dom looks like a class-A slut. She's wearing a very skimpy dress with a massive amount of cleavage and some very exposed thighs. The dress is horrible. Its metallic silver and very tight and stretchy, to show off her curves, of course, because God forbid Dom goes around without at least ten eyes glued to her ass. She has teased her blond hair as if there's no tomorrow, and she's got the biggest poof on her head. It's like a dinosaur has laid its egg there. Ryla on the other hand looks like she hasn't had anything to eat for a year. She's so thin, that her curves are barely visible, so she's wearing a dress similar to Dominique's except hers is dark green. The spandex-like dress seems to be her last hope of a curvy figure. Her hair is also pin straight, sort of like Emma's except Ryla's is thin and limp while Emma's is thick and lustrous.

Dominique walks closer towards Ben. "Do you want to keep me company Ben?" she whispers in his ear as she places her hand on his shoulder, "till my boyfriend gets here". I know she's saying this because Ben's with me, and she wants to leave me dateless or something because she thinks I'm here with him or something, but I couldn't care less because I only have eyes for Eric. Plus, she doesn't know that Ben isn't my date here tonight and that I'm not interested in him, so whatever.

"No thanks", Ben says as he removes her hand off his shoulder and turns to me, "Wanna go in, Rose?" he offers me his hand.

I smile wide, "Of course", I take his hand and we walk inside together. Ben and I laugh at the thought of Dominique's expression when she thinks that Ben rejected her for me.

"I think we really fooled her", I laugh.

"I know", Ben laughs as well.

"I've got a surprise for you tonight, cousin dear!" She calls out to me from where she's standing on Eric's driveway with Vane just before I enter the house, "You just wait and see!"

"What do you think she means?" I ask a bit worried to Ben.

"Don't worry about it", Ben shrugs it off. I can't _not_ worry about it. All the senior years from my school will be here tonight. What if she tries to publicly embarrass me or something? I don't want her pulling off something stupid tonight, especially now that I'm on 'Mission Eric'. It's like her to do something of that sort. I express my feelings to Ben.

"Don't worry, Rose, you have me, if anything happens, I'll save you", Ben assures me while trying to lighten up my mood. I laugh, but I still can't stop thinking about it.

The door is unlocked so I step inside and Ben follows me. At that moment, I feel like my heart has melted because right in the middle of the room is Eric, his back towards me, with a plastic cup in his hand.

"Eric?" I say as Ben and I go up to him.

He turns around, "Rose?" He gasps when he sees me, and stares at me for a while. He seemed to have forgotten Ben who's standing next to me, or the whole entire party for that matter. "You look…Beautiful!", he sighs.

I feel like I've just died…and gone to heaven.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please review! You'll make my day!**

**P.S. what do you think is Dominique's 'surprise' for Rose?**


	13. The Very 'Not As I Expected' Party

"H-hi, Eric", I nervously say as I turn a bright crimson color. Eric thinks I look beautiful, Eric Wood thinks _I'm_ beautiful. I want to jump up and down right now, grab a bottle of firewhiskey, and knock him down!

"It's, um, great t-to see you, Rose", Eric said still stunned by how I look. I kept blushing as he gawked at me. I wonder if Ben noticed the awkwardness of his moment. I turn to look at him and he's staring at my face, as if he's trying to read me or read my expressions or something. I think Ben might have figured out that it's Eric who I have my heart on, but I'm not sure whether that's what he's thinking or not.

"So, um, it's a nice party you have going on, Eric", I try to say something. Dear Merlin I must sound like such a loser!

"Thanks!" Eric says chuckling. I wonder if he's laughing at me…

"Where's James?" Ben asks him, in a casual but expressionless tone.

"James! Oh you won't believe it!" Eric said excitedly.

"Why?" I ask curiously. I wonder why Eric said we won't 'believe it!'. I wonder what my cousin is up to.

"Remember Sonia Towler?" Eric said excitedly.

"Yeah, that Gryffindor girl in your year", I say remembering her. She's really good friends with Dominique but she's way prettier and way more friendly than Dom and Ryla. "Wasn't James dating her last year?" I suddenly remembered.

"Yeah", Eric said laughing, "And now, he's off somewhere making out with her sister!"

"Oh my", Ben said quietly. Ben doesn't seem to be very cheerful which is unusual for him. He doesn't seem shocked by this either and he's James' best mate.

"Isn't Sofia Towler like two years younger than him?" I ask.

"Year and a half", Eric corrects me.

I laugh, "What is it with the Potter brothers and younger women?" Eric laughs with me but Ben continues to examine this situation. Now I know for sure he's aware of the spark between me and Eric.

"Yeah, and Al's somewhere with Arielle. I have no idea where and no idea what they're doing or where they are", Eric laughs.

"I think I'll go get a drink", Ben says eyeing us. I think he's still absorbing the fact that Eric and I might like each other. It'll definitely be a shock to our friends if they found out. Then again who knows if Eric even likes me.

"I'll be right back", Eric said as he goes upstairs. I don't know where he's going and I don't bother to ask. I'm standing all by myself now, trying to see if I can spot my friends. I see Donny and Amanda snogging each other's faces sharing an armchair in the very corner of the room. I really think Donny and Amanda are one of the only couple I could bet galleons on that they'll be together, even after graduation. They're so in love, it's very sweet and they've been dating for two years now. I don't bother to go and say hi to them since I don't want to disturb them.

"Hey, Rose!" Someone calls out my name. I turn around to see Ricky Coote, Zach Riches, and Nick Longbottom, all Gryffindors in my year.

"Hi guys!" I say as I walk over to them. They're all holding plastic cups filled with Firewhiskey, and laughing with two Ravenclaw girls in our year, Olivia Quirke and Macy Bradley. I suddenly remember the bet that Bonnie told me about, the one between Olivia, Macy, Bonnie, and Kylie Montague, 6th year Slytherin.

"Hey, Rose, how's your summer been?" Zach asks me extra happliy.

"It's been fun", I say as I notice Zach beaming at me. There's been a rumor around school that Zach Riches has crush on me since 3rd year, but I don't know if it's true because he's never asked me on a date or anything, but he is very sweet to me.

"So you all having fun?" I ask them.

"No!" Macy says immediately. "Everyone here seems to have someone to snog except me", she says making us laugh.

"Well, I'm always available", Ricky nudges her.

"In your dreams, Coote!" She rolls her eyes. She exchanges looks with her best friend Olivia making Olivia blush.

"Hey, Ricky, let's go get some more drinks!" Olivia suggests as she takes his arm. We watch them go talking laughing together.

"She's got a thing for him", Macy informs us about Olivia and Ricky, as she takes a sip of her drink. "So did you hear about your cousin, Rose? He's making out with his ex-girlfriend's little sister!" Macy laughs as she asks us.

"Yeah, I did", I reply. I wonder if everyone in this room knows about my scandalous cousin James. I wonder if Sonia's here tonight and I wonder how she feels about little Sofia stealing her man. Personally, I like Sofia better. Even though Sonia's really nice and friendly, sometimes she gets too caught up with Dominique's issues and she become's just like her, it's like she doesn't want to be like Dominique but sometimes she just wants to be her carbon copy. Sofia on the other hand is way cooler, even for a 5th year. We're really good friends since we met through Roxanne who's best friends with Sofia and Arielle. Sofia's just like me, she's just really spontaneous and bold and she'll say or do anything if she feels is the right thing and what I love best about her is that she hates Dominique more than anything, just like me.

That's just…awkward", Nick said clearly talking about James.

"Yeah, like how can you just do two sisters?" Zach agreed.

"Whoever said anything about doing anyone?" Macy reminded them.

"Yeah, they're just making out", I shrug since I really want to end the conversation of James's scandals.

"Look who just arrived", Zach says looking beyond my shoulder. Macy and I turn around to see three 7th year Slytherins, Missy Jones, followed by Nina Flint and Veronica Crabbe. Missy Jones is like the Slytherin version of Dominique. She's like the queen of Slytherin house, and Nina and Veronica are like her two ladies-in-waiting. I don't really talk to them so I've never had a problem with any of them, but maybe that's because we're united in our hatred for Dominique. Even though they are equally evil, I personally like Missy better than Dominique, and not just because I'm biased here. The reason for that is as bitchy as Missy is; she's got a soft spot in her heart for love. She's the type to make a relationship last as long as she can with faith and trust. She's committed her fair share of sins but she would never play with a guy's feelings, or steal another girl's boyfriend or cheat in a relationship and she's really sensitive about these kinds of issues. Heck, I know people who have gone to Missy for relationship advice, and she really helped them. Missy's really good friends with Amanda since both of them can relate to each other about their serious boyfriends as Missy has been dating Todd Nott for roughly two years as well. To sum it all up, Missy's not mean to anyone just because she doesn't like them, like Dominique. Missy only has problems with those who have problems with her.

I see Missy looking around for Eric. I feel a slight pang of jealousy as I see Eric coming back downstairs and giving her a big hug. He didn't hug me when I came. The greeting is short and quick and she goes out into his backyard to his large patio where a lot of the party is. Eric locks eyes with me and I immediately look away a bit embarrassed that he might have caught me staring at them.

"Hey, Rose!" he says to me as he walks over to us, "Hi guys!" he says to the other three. He looks at Nick, "Hey, man, you know your little sister has disappeared off to somewhere with Albus", he sniggers. I turn to look at Nick who coughs and turns red out of embarrassment.

"There, there Nicky", Macy says as she lightly hits him on the back since he's choking on his firewhiskey. "Let's take all the mental images out of our head", she teases him.

"Thanks, Macy", he rolls his eyes, "I think I need another drink, or a few more", He says as he also goes outside.

"So, um, Rose, do you wanna dance?" Eric nervously asks me. I can see the frown on Zach's face from the corner of my eyes.

"Um, y-yeah sure", I say as he takes my hand.

"Come on, Zach, you need to dance too", Macy says clearly seeing Zach's expression. She takes his hand and lead's him outside. Eric and I don't go outside, but rather dance inside in the large family room that he has charmed to look like a club disco sort of thing. It's quite impressive considering the complicated magic that's gone into it.

I begin to sweat as I feel Eric's hands on my waist. Just then, I spot Priya with 6th year Hufflepuff, Jared Stebbins, grinding like there's no tomorrow. I'm a bit shocked to see this since I had no idea she had a side like this too her. But I shouldn't be surprised, the girl sneaks off to nightclubs with 19-year-olds, for Merlin's sake! I feel Eric noticing my attention on Priya. "She's a party animal, you know!" he laughs. I force myself to laugh even though I don't find it that funny. I also see Mark Pucey going crazy with Monica Bletchley. Now that is funny! I want to laugh because it's funny how Mark is so desperate sometimes. Then, I spot Jacob McDougal making out with Nicole Boot while dancing, his on-off girlfriend. I wonder if I should tell Lily to just forget him altogether. I see a bunch of people that I recognize from my school dancing and getting drunk and making out. It's getting really hot since there's so many people here and I want to step away for a bit but suddenly, I feel Eric pull me closer to him. "I've never noticed how sexy you are", he whispers with a sultry but groggy voice in my ear. I can feel his lips on my shoulder and collar bone and I can smell his breath and it smells very strong like Firewhiskey, and something else which I'm assuming is the muggle drinks he was talking about. I don't want Eric's lips all over me! It's all moving way too fast for me. I try to pull away slightly and turn red, and he notices so he chuckles. "You're cute when you blush?" he says. I can tell he's kind of drunk, but not too drunk.

"And you're just cute. When you're normal", I mutter as I pull my arm away. I don't want to be with him when he's drunk. He'll probably forget it by tomorrow.

"Let's get more drinks!" He suggests excitedly.

"I don't know…" I say a bit unsure. I don't want Eric to get too drunk, he seems to have had a lot already, and I want him to remain in his senses slightly when he spends his time with me. "I want to go find my friends…", I say. It's the truth, I have been looking for Bonnie and Emma everywhere but I couldn't find them. I really wanted to have fun with my friends but they've disappeared. I sigh out of disappointment.

"Come on, Rosie!" He says. I notice he called me Rosie. I remember when he snapped at Ben for calling me Rosie that day at the Potter's. What an odd boy. Eric takes my hand leading me outside to a table with drinks on them. He's got a lot of Firewhiskey and some muggle things like Vodka and Beer and other stuff that I don't want to try on that table. I notice that there are more empty bottles of firewhiskey than the muggle stuff which might be because most of the people here are wizards and witches and would probably enjoy firewhiskey more.

It's nicer out here since everything is under the moonlight, and also because it's not as hot and stuffy. Eric seems to have disappeared again so I just look around as I wait for him. I wonder where he keeps going. I see Missy and Todd sitting on the lawn chairs in the corner making out, sort of like Amanda and Donny. Olivia and Ricky are also dancing like crazy and I'm happy for her. Nick must have forgotten about his sister and Zach must have forgotten about me because they seem to be having a wild time with Macy, both boys look like they had quite a lot to get them in the mood tonight. I see the Sonia with the super cute 7th year Slytherin Tyler Higgs. They just seem to be talking amongst themselves and she doesn't look to happy. I wonder if she knows about her sister off with the boy she broke up with just three months ago. However Tyler seems to be keeping her good company. He has her in a full embrace and she's getting weird looks from Ryla who's standing in another far corner looking and texting like crazy. Probably telling Dominique about Sonia and Tyler. I also see Damien and Lance who wave to me. I wave back and they walk over to me, with the same plastic cups filled with firewhiskey like everyone else.

"Hi Guys!" I say, "What's up?"

"Hi, Rose!" They say over the loud music. "So are you having sun, Rose?" Damien asks me.

"Yeah I am", I lie, even though I'm kind of annoyed at Eric since he keeps disappearing. "How about you, guys?" I don't wait for them to answer, "Hey did you guys see Mark in there?"

"Yeah!" they laugh. "He's…having his fun!" Lance laughs.

"I need to find a pretty girl to dance with", Damien sighs. "Even Mark found someone!" Lance and I laugh.

"Why don't you ask Maria", I say pointing to a pretty 6th Hufflepuff who's just dancing with her friends.

"Nah", Damien shrugs. "Not what I'm looking for".

"Well I wouldn't mind!" Lance says as he makes his way over to her. Once Lance leaves, Damien turns to me.

"You look so different!" Damien said as he looks at me observantly.

"How?" I say, it's not like I've done anything extra special to my hair or makeup or something.

"I don't know you just look different than usual. You definitely look taller today", Damien says staring at my legs, "I think you're your legs look longer". It's probably the high waist skirt.

I eye him a bit strangely. "Damien, why are you observing the length of my legs?" I ask him a bit creeped out. Like who says that, 'your legs seem longer today', that's just weird!

Damien turns red, "I pay attention to things", he mumbles. We're both silent for a bit. He's so mysterious and strange. "So, Rose, you never told me why you were crying in the middle of the night that night at Al's", Damien reminds me.

I laugh nervously, "Damien, I really have no idea what you're talking about". I play dumb. I'm kind of mad at him for reminding me about Scorpius. I wonder if Scorpius filled my call history with his missed calls…

"Come on, Rose", Damien laughs, "Stop lying".

"Damien, I really think you were dreaming. Why would I be crying for no reason?" I say as I find my inner actress. Damien doesn't say anything since he's not stupid, he knows what he saw.

"So, do you wanna dance or something? I'm really bored…" He says surprising me a bit.

I raise my eyebrow at him, "You want a pretty girl to dance with but when you're bored, I'm your last choice?"

"No! I didn't mean that!" He quickly corrects himself. He looks a bit alarmed that he's offended me as I frown at him.

"Damien, calm down!" I laugh, "I'm only joking". He sighs. Wow he looked like he was going to panic there. Just then, I feel someone from behind pull my arm slightly and I spin around to see Eric with a dazed but excited expression on his face. "Eric where did you go?" I ask him.

"Just here and there", he says happily. I can tell he's very drunk now as he tries to pull me closer again.

"Let's get out of here, Rose. Just you and me", he suggests groggily.

"I-I don't think so", I say as I get out of his hold. Damien's also standing here but he doesn't say anything.

"Come on, Rose", Eric suggests, "I thought you liked me. You're really pretty you know", he said taking my hand. I'm actually so disappointed by this. I thought I would actually get to hang out with Eric and we'd get to know each other better but he's drunk and hitting on me. I sigh realizing tonight is not going to go the way I wanted it to. I turn around to go back inside since I'm kind of mad and kind of disappointed. Just then, I see Louis sitting in a chair by himself with a bottle of firewhiskey way in the far back. He looks very mad and his face is all red. I hope he hadn't had that whole bottle! As I go, Damien helps a very drunk Eric onto a chair since he looks like he's going to collapse.

"Louis, what are you doing?" I say as I grab the bottle from his hand. Louis looks at me for a couple seconds and then blinks.

"Did you know about this?" he demands angrily.

"Know about what?" I ask as I sit on the chair next to him.

"That I'm just your best friends little play toy!" he snarls groggily and I can tell he's also slightly drunk. Why is everyone drinking so much?

"Oh, Louis", I say as I put my arm around him. But he shrugs my arm away. "I swear I had no idea", I tell him.

"You're lying!" he accuses me.

"Louis, I'm not, I swear", I insist. "I would never lie about something like this! Not to you!"

"You know, I liked her way before we started dating", he says slowly. "I thought she actually liked me, but this was all just a game for her", He tells me.

"Really?" I say surprised. I actually did not know this. No wonder Bonnie won, she had a competitive advantage. And I can't believe I'm thinking about that right now. I don't bother trying to tell him that Bonnie's had a change of heart since he's way too drunk to understand or listen to me.

"Yeah, but we're over for good!" he tells me.

"Oh Louis, I'm so sorry" I say as I hug him. It's the only thing I can do for my heartbroken, drunk cousin. "Maybe you should take a break", I say as I help him to his feet and lead him inside. I help him back into the family room and we push past people as we try to make our way towards the staircase leading upstairs. Just then we spot his sister Dominique talking angrily on her phone.

"Where the fuck are you?" she yells on the phone over the noise of music. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago, you stupid twit! I can't believe I've got a lazy ass like you for a boyfriend!" I roll my eyes at her as we walk by her. Typical of Dom to insult others like that. I pull Louis's arm but Louis stops.

"Dom?" he says dazedly since she has her back facing towards us.

She turns around really fast with furrowed eyebrows and yells really loudly, "What the fuck do you want?" I pull Louis's arm again to lead him upstairs since I don't think she's in a very happy mood, not a good time to chit chat with dear old sister.

"Who are you talking to?" he asks. I try and pull him away as I foresee a fight ensuing between the two since he's so drunk and she's so mean and both of them are really angry right now.

"None. Of. Your. Fucking. Business!" she yells at him.

"What's wrong with you? You need to calm yourself!" he yells back. I pull Louis's arm as I see a bunch of people turning to look at what's going on.

"Come, on, Louis", I urge him to come with me. But he doesn't budge.

"Yes! You two get the hell out of my face before I pop your eyes out!" she yells at us. I ignore her because I really don't want to get in the middle of this mess.

"No!" Louis yells. "You don't own this place, you psychotic freak!"

"Get the hell away from me before I knock your teeth out, and make you wish you weren't born!", she glares at him. "Now leave, you jerk!" She yells. "And take this worthless piece of crap with you!" she says pointing at me.

" You don't have to lose your fat head, you crazy fucker! And don't talk like that to Rose!" He yells at her.

"Louis, its fine!" I insist as I pull his arm to drag him away. Louis turns to walk with me but stops when he hears Dominique's voice.

"Yes, Rose, take this little bastard with you and GET HIS UGLY FACE OUT OF MY SIGHT!" she yells. Louis turns around immediately.

"You're an insecure little bitch, you whore!" he yells back. All of a sudden the whole party stops to stare as Dominique slaps Louis hard across the cheek causing the loud noise of the slap to silence even the blasting music.

"Don't ever talk to me like that, you little piece of shit!" she yells dangerously as she pushes him. The drunken Louis loses his balance slightly but I quickly help him before he falls or something

"Dominique!" I gasp. Louis just stares at her as he holds his cheek, bright red from the slap. I can't imagine the pain on his face right now. He angrily huffs and I see Donny, who's make out session with Amanda went on hold, rushing up to us to grab Louis before he pounces on his older sister.

"I'm gonna kills her!" Louis says angrily as he lunges for her throat. I scream and Donny tries to hold Louis back. I see Ben come in from another room and quickly rush to help as soon as he sees the situation. I try to hold Dominique back because as much as I hate her, I wouldn't actually want her dead!

"Louis! Get a hold of yourself!" Donny yells as he and Ben and a bunch of other guys pry him off her.

"She's your sister, dude!" Ben tries to knock some sense into him.

"I hate her!" Louis yells, "I'm gonna rip her limbs apart!" I see Mark come and help break up the fight as well as Damien who I'm just seeing again now and a bunch of other people.

"I'll have you buried six feet under the ground before you could kill me you son-of-bitch!" Dominique said clearly losing her senses and not realizing what she's saying. Amanda and Priya and Missy, surprisingly, help me pull Dominique back. She turns around to see me, "Don't touch me, you little dipshit!" she yells at me. All of a sudden, in that very moment, Dominique jerks her elbow and hits me hard right on my temple. I felt dizzy and my legs felt wobbly. The last thing I remember is Louis punching her square in the eye.

…

_There's a bright flashy disco ball, the room is dark and the flash from the silver ball is blinding me. I can't see anything and I'm trying to find a way to get out. The room is packed with people and I'm suffocating as I push my way through the people. Whenever I get closer to the EXIT sign, the sign moves farther away. I keep trying to get to chase the exit door but I feel like I'll never escape. Never..._

"Hey, Rose", I feel a hand lightly slapping my cheek.

I stir as I slowly open my eyes. "Wh-what happened?" I slowly say as I try to look around at my surroundings. I'm in a very messy bedroom with clothes and books lying everywhere.

"Hey. Hey, you're in Eric's bedroom", I hear Ben say to me. I look up and Ben's hovering over me with a glass of water in his hand. I think it was him who was touching my face before. "Have some water", he says, as he gently helps me sit up.

"What happened?" I ask again.

"You got knocked out, honey", Amanda says.

"And Ben carried you up here", Priya adds.

I look at Ben, "Thanks, Benny. You're a great friend", I say as I touch his arm.

"I told you I have your back", He smiles and I chuckle slightly. James, Al, Emma, Donny, Amanda, Damien, Mark, Priya, and even Sofia, are all standing around the room and they all sigh out of relief when they hear me chuckle.

"Thank God, you're okay", Damien says. "We were so worried!"

"Oh my! Where's Louis?" I ask suddenly remembering the fight. Dear God, I hope both of them are alive!

"He's, um, he's fine now", James says a bit nervously.

"He's sleeping it off in the other room", Donny informs me.

"And Dominique?" I ask even though I wouldn't mind if she's dead right now.

"She's sitting in the downstairs washroom with a black eye", Al says snorting.

"He hit her?" I gasp. I can't believe Louis hit his own sister! Louis doesn't hurt anyone, let alone his own flesh and blood!.

"Yeah, right when she knocked you out", Al says again.

"She deserves it", Ben angrily grumbles.

"Oh Merlin", I sigh. I turn to Emma, "Where have you been?" I ask her curiously since it's the first time I've seen her tonight, even though I was searching for her.

"I was outside on the patio the whole time", she tells me. "I came in when Mark told me what happened".

"Does anyone know where Bonnie is?" I remembered.

"She went home really early", Emma tells me.

"Are you sure you're okay, Rose", Al asks me, "If you want, we can take you to the E.R. to get you checked out or something".

"Al, I'm fine", I insist.

"Do you want to go home? Because I can drive you" Ben offered.

"I can come too, to make sure you're okay and stuff", Damien adds.

"No, I'm okay, but thanks for caring guys", I smile at them warmly.

"So let's go back to the party!" Mark said doing a funky dance move that caused us all to stare in shock and disgust.

"Do not do that again, man", Al said half serious half joking.

"Or Rose will probably faint again", Damien sniggered.

"Hey!" I laugh. Once I get up, we make our way back to the party. James and Sofia disappear before anyone could see where they went; Al went around looking for Arielle, Priya and Mark hopped back downstairs to turn up the music and resume the dancing. Amanda and Donny also escaped somewhere and I was left with Emma, Al and Damien.

"Where's Eric?" I whisper in Ben's ear because I'm assuming he's caught on now but I don't want Damien to know.

"Dunno", Ben shrugs. I sigh. Emma and Damien go back to outside to resume to their fun and Ben and I walk slowly down the stairs. He keeps an eye on me so I don't faint or anything and falls down the stairs.

"Ben! You don't need to do that, I'm fine", I say since he's walking closely behind me with his hands on my shoulders so he could catch me if I fall forwards or backwards.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to be cautious", he defends himself. I take his arm and pull him forward to walk next to me.

"Thanks, Ben", I say as I link my arm in his. "You truly are the best".

Ben nods, "Anything for you, Rosie". Eric comes back to my mind as soon as Ben calls me Rosie. I wonder what the hell he's doing. Probably drunk and having sex with any willing girl right now.

"So, I'm assuming you know about Eric?" I say quietly so only he can hear. We go and take a seat on the couch in the corner.

"Yeah. So it's him that you lurvvvve", he teases me.

"I don't love him, Ben. Love isn't a joke. Why do people talk about love so casually?" I say not directly to Ben. I generally just hate when people ask me whether I love this boy or not. I don't think I truly love anyone besides my parents and Hugo.

"I'm just joking, you know that. But why didn't you tell me earlier?" he asks a bit sad.

"Well, you and Eric spend so much time together; it could have slipped out by accident or something. I didn't want him to know until the right time", I explained.

"You don't trust me to have a hold on my tongue?" Ben asked a bit hurt.

"No!" I quickly say, "It's nothing like that!" I hope he doesn't think I don't trust him. Oh Merlin, I hope I didn't hurt his feelings. It would just break me to hurt Ben of all people.

Ben sighs, "I'll go look for him if you want to talk to him".

"I'll come with you" I say. As we go around the house looking for Eric, I see Mickey Sloper having a drink of water in the kitchen. Mickey is Ben's adorable little brother who's a year younger than me and two years younger than Ben.

"Hi, Rose!" he greets me.

"Hi", I say.

"Are you okay, I heard what happened?" He asks me. Dear God, does the whole party know I got knocked out by my cousin? Who the hell is going around putting this news on front page?

"Yeah I'm fine. Have you seen Eric?" I ask him.

"Yeah I saw him outside", he tells us. I sigh out of relief since I'm happy we know where he is. Mickey turns to Ben, "Dad called, he was wondering when we'll be home?"

"What did you say?" Ben asks.

"Told him we're on our way and to go back to sleep", Mickey laughs.

"You liar!" I whack him lightly on the arm.

"He sounded really tired. He'll probably forget as soon as he goes to bed", Mickey shrugs.

"Let's go find Eric", I say. We say our goodbye to Mickey and head outside.

And there to my horror is something I did not expect to see. I don't spot Eric. In fact, I forget Eric. I see Dominique in the arms of none other than my ex-boyfriend…Josh. Dominique sees us and looks up. "Surprise, Rosie!" She says evilly. "I've decided to bring an old _friend_ of _ours_ to the party", she says cleverly.

"Dom, you don't have to do that you know", Josh says quietly. Even he's got more decency than her!

"J-Josh?" I stutter. I can't believe Josh McLaggen is here. Suddenly memories of last year slip back into my mind. Josh and I had began to get to know each other around Easter when were both in the library during the late night of the hours. I would be studying for my OWL's and he would just be doing who-knows-what since he doesn't study. We started talking and he helped me study by quizzing me on definitions and such. He began showing up more often since I was there almost every night just to talk to me and we started to become friends. Around the beginning May, right before my birthday, he asked me on a date to Hogsmeade. Soon we started to officially go out. I usually spotted him talking to Dominique but I never thought much of it. Hugo had accidently slipped in a letter to my parents that I was dating a 7th year who wasn't likely to pass his NEWT's. Mum and Dad asked me get permission to go home for an evening and bring Josh with me. My parents didn't like him at all, especially Dad, and they talked to me about him and I agreed that I shouldn't date him since he's older and not very wise. So I broke up with him telling him I need more time. The following Wednesday, roughly three days later, I was too tired to study so I came back from the library a bit earlier than usual and too my horror, there was Josh with Dominique alone in the late hours of the night in the Gryffindor common room making out. With no shirts. I ran upstairs so upset since I was so horrified to see my ex-boyfriend clutching on to my cousin's boobs with her tongue down his throat. And that's when the rivalry between me and Dominique ignited to its very maximum.

"Hi, Rose", Josh mumbled looking down at his shoes. "I just got here", he informed me like I cared. Gosh he's still so stupid! I couldn't give two shits about when he got here! I realize Dominique was talking to _him_ when she was yelling on the phone. She's right in the part where she called him a twit.

"Nice to see your ass of a _boyfriend _here, Dom", Ben said sarcastically.

"Excuse me, Ben! At least he's much better than whatever you're walking around with lately", Dominique spat jerking her finger to point at me. Why does she keep thinking Ben and I are together or something? I just stared into open space as Josh continued to find his shoes so bloody interesting.

"If he's so great, then why did you ask _me_ to get in your pants?" Ben spat back.

"Hey watch your mouth!" Josh spoke up.

"It's true", Ben shrugged, "Just ask her?" Dominique looked away and soon enough, she and Josh began to argue as Ben pulled me to go back inside. But I didn't. I turned to look at black eyed Dominique.

"Dominique you're like the devil!" I yelled at her finally He halts her argument with Josh and both of them look at me. "And if you think it bothers me to see your boyfriend's ugly face here, then guess again!"

"Rose, I'm so sorry if I hurt your little feelings. But children like you need these lessons to show you your place", Dominique said in her I'm-the-sexy-bitch-queen attitude.

I had no desire to search for Eric anymore. I didn't want to do _anything_ anymore. I rested my head on Ben's shoulder as we sat on a couch in the other room. The music wasn't as loud in here. I didn't cry or anything because Josh didn't upset me, what upsets me is how mean Dominique is. To me, to her boyfriend, to even her own little brother. I could never hit Hugo like that; the way Dom had hit Louis. I could never imagine exchanging such words with my little brother. I love Hugo so much. Don't all big sisters love their baby brothers? Even Victoire is nicer to him than Dominique. I wonder what Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur would say if they saw Dominique's behavior here tonight.

"What did you ever see in her?" I ask Ben quietly as we both sit on the couch.

He puts an arm around me, "the fact that she's related to _you_". He smiles at me and I kiss him on the cheek. I don't know why I did it, but I really love everything about him tonight. I don't think I've ever had a friend like Ben, someone who truly cares so much about me.

"You're a dream", I say quietly, "way to good to be true". I sigh again as we continue just sit on the couch. "Tonight did not go as I planned", I sigh.

"Why's that?" Ben asks me quietly as he plays with my hair with the hand that's still around me.

"I wanted to tonight to be the night that I could finally get Eric to fall for me. I wanted to have fun with my friends and forget about all the other little problems of life", I tell Ben who just listens quietly. "But Eric seems to only notice me when I'm in a wet towel, or when I'm dressed up or when he's drunk. And I don't even know if he really likes me or just wants to get physical". Ben doesn't ask me about the wet towel thing, since he doesn't know about that and he doesn't ask me about what happened tonight with Eric. I appreciate that because I'm in no mood to do any explaining. Suddenly, my eyes tear up, and I sniffle a little.

"Oh, Rose", Ben says gently as he pulls me into a hug. "You know he's just drunk". I don't reply to that.

"Why is it that nothing ever goes as planned? Why do we try so hard with people but end up back where we started?" I ask him. My mind goes back to Scorpius and I want to cry but I get a hold of myself.

"I don't know", Ben says quietly. "I really don't know. Sometimes the more we want something, the farther it goes from our reach".

"Yeah", I say. "And I'm so mad and so disappointed. Bonnie left as soon as she came, Louis was so upset and the fight between him and Dominique. I got knocked out, and Josh is here and Eric's just been a disappointment".

"You're not the only one. Tonight hasn't really been that great for me either", Ben said as he stroked my hair. I'm too caught up in my own troubles to even ask why.

"Do you think you could take me home?" I ask him, "If you haven't had much to drink?"

"Yeah, I can drive you home", he says.

"Would now be okay?" I ask him.

"Yeah I want to go home now too", he sighs and we get up from the couch.

We don't bother going around saying goodbye to our friends, since neither of us are in the mood. We go straight to his car instead and I notice the roads and streets are really quiet and peaceful since its past midnight. Ben and I go back home in silence, since I'm not in the mood tonight and neither is he. As I'm sitting in his car, I take out my cell phone to text all my friends that Ben and I have left. I see that there are four new missed calls from Scorpius and four new voice messages. I probably shouldn't delete them. I don't want to listen to them now since I'm really tired but I think I'll take a look at them in the morning. We finally reach my house, and I'm glad as ever since I just want to crawl in my bed and just sleep.

"Thanks for everything, Ben. I really appreciate everything you did for me today", I say to him before getting out. When I quietly let myself in the house, I notice that everyone has already gone to bed, since its dark as ever in here. When my eyes adjust to the darkness, I quietly tip-toe upstairs and into my room, and hope no one wakes up. When I look at my clock, I notice how much I lost track of time. It's 2:30 am? Already? I take a quick, warm shower to relax myself from all the tension and stress from tonight. I slip into my pajamas and hide under my covers since I'm a bit cold from the shower. I feel so tired I fall asleep almost immediately. I'm not in very deep sleep so I jerk up when I hear my phone ringing.

I immediately pick it up before anyone wakes up from the noise. "Hello", I say tiredly into the phone.

"Hello, is this Rose", An elderly woman says worriedly.

"Um, yes…" I say slowly not recognizing the voice.

"Rose, this is Narcissa Malfoy, Scorpius's grandmother. Something terrible has happened to Scorpius!"

Just then, I feel like a ton has been dropped on my chest.

**A/N: OMG! What do you guys think happened to Scorpius? What do you think's gonna happen with Eric and Rose Now? How about Louis and Bonnie? And who can forget Dominique? Keep checking back and you'll find out soon enough!**


	14. A Change of the Crazy Heart

I gulped as I heard Scorpius's grandmother sniffle on the phone, "I've been trying to call since Sunday night", she said. "I've left several messages from Scorpius's phone".

So it's her who's been bombarding my phone with missed calls and voice messages. I want to hit my head on the wall for ignoring them. Something terrible has happened to Scorpius and I was so ignorant! I'm so stupid! I'm so dumb! What if Scorpius died? What if he lost his eyesight? What if he lost his hearing? Or he can't speak anymore? Or he's handicapped? I can't take the anxiety of not knowing! I have so many questions to ask his grandmother but my voice is caught in my throat. "Wh-what happened", I finally manage to say in a small voice because I have to find out if he's okay. I hope he's alright, please, God, let Scorpius be alright.

She sniffles again, she's obviously been crying, "Scorpius had a car accident". Scorpius…Scorpius had a…Scorpius had a car accident! I clutch my table to steady myself since I lose my balance slightly when I hear.

"Wh-what?" I almost drop my phone. _Scorpius_ _had an accident?_ Oh Merlin! Oh my goodness! How did this happen? When did this happen? Oh God, poor Scorpius! I hope he's alright. I pray he's alright. I have so many questions for his grandmother but I can't find the voice to ask them.

"He's at a muggle hospital right now", she tells me. She pauses for a moment, "Hello, Rose? Are you there?" she asks me since I haven't said anything because I'm in shock.

"Y-yes, I'm here", I say in a small voice. Scorpius is injured. I wonder how he is right now! Is he okay? Was he hurt badly? How did this happen? Why didn't I pick up my phone before? Oh poor boy! Everything's so difficult for him! I want to start crying because I hate myself for ignoring his—well, his grandmother's—calls. No wonder there are only voice messages from him! Of course his grandma wouldn't know how to text. Old people don't text! And Scorpius usually just text's me. I wish I wasn't so ignorant and stupid!

"He's better now, but he's so upset, Rose", Narcissa informs me with her voice starting to break as she starts crying again.

I don't know what to say. Why is he upset? Did something happen at home or…? Is he upset because of me? No, of course not! I didn't do anything to him. I didn't do anything to him that day either. It was him who attacked me like an animal. So why is _he_ so upset? Maybe it's not because of me. I hope it isn't. Maybe he's upset about something else. Maybe he's upset about being in an accident. Of course, that must be it! Why wouldn't you be upset if you're in a hospital? But I have to find out it's got to do with me or not. "Which hospital is he at?" I ask Narcissa as I shuffle around my table looking for a pen and some scrap paper to note down the address.

"He's in a muggle hospital, near the big shopping centre with the flashy signs", she says.

"The big shopping centre with the flashy signs?" What the hell is this woman saying? How am I supposed to find the _big_ shopping centre with the _flashy signs_? They all have flashy signs! I try to remain patient as I realize this pure-blood woman has barely been around in the muggle world. "Do you remember the name of the mall or the hospital?" I ask her.

"I can't remember the name of the hospital but I'll go find out", she says and I realize she's calling from the hospital right now.

"Wait!" I quickly say, I don't have time for this woman to go around trying to find the name of the hospital! "Could you maybe give me some more description?" I ask her. She goes on about this hospital having a very large emergency room and being very close to the mall when it suddenly clicks me. She's talking about the hospital next to the mall I was at with Scorpius last weekend, that mall is very large and does have lots of lights. And she's talking about the E.R. that I was in when I had a breakdown! She said she's been trying to call since Sunday night…Of course! Scorpius was in that area last Sunday, he's probably in the closest hospital to that area right now! I sigh because I'm so relieved I have this figured out. "I'm on my way!" I say to her.

"Oh no!" she almost yells. "You can't come now! It's much too late, Dear!" she tells me. Maybe she should have thought about that before informing me! Doesn't she know I have no control over my mind anymore? I have to go and see him.

"No, I'm coming", I say.

"Rose", she says. I guess Scorpius must have told her my name. I wonder if he told her about me, and I wonder what exactly he told her about me. Narcissa sighs, "Rose, I'm really glad you want to see him but it's much too late to be out at this hour. I think you should wait till morning. You can come see him with your parents then", she says. I can't come see him with my _parents_! My parents don't even know that I talk to him. My parents don't even know he's a deranged animal, one that tried to hurt their baby girl. I would get in so much trouble for keeping them in the dark if they found out. And they'd turn the world around if they found out what happened between us that day.

"Don't worry about me. I'm coming now", I say before hanging up on her, since I don't want to listen to her insisting it's too late right now. _Geez_, if it's too late then why would you call me, woman? I quickly change into a pair of jeans and put a cardigan over my tank top and put my socks and shoes on when I suddenly stop. How am I going to get there? I don't drive yet, I've only got a learner's permit, it's too far to walk and way too late for me to ask someone to drive me. Would public transport still be going around at this hour? I check online before I quickly throw my cell phone and my wand in my purse and grab some loose change hoping I can still catch a bus, even at 3:15 in the morning. I quietly make my way downstairs, grab my keys and leave my house quietly. I begin to walk toward the main street where the bus stop is. The roads are quiet, dark, and empty and the air is a bit chillier, I see only one car pass by while I wait for the bus to come. I checked online about the public transport before leaving and there's one that still goes around at night, the one that goes to downtown London. But I'll get off early and walk to the hospital the rest of the way. I don't know why I'm going through all this trouble to see Scorpius. Scorpius and I are history. I had ended the volunteering and I don't want to be his friend anymore. My mind had told me that I should go back home and go back to bed, and I'll talk to him in the morning or something. But my heart! My stupid heart tells me I've got to do this, I've got to go see him and make sure he's alright. I have to find out if this has anything to do with our fight…

I finally spot some tiny lights coming towards me and as they get closer, I realize the white and blue bus is here. I take out my change as the bus stops right in front of me. The door opens to reveal a middle aged man in a public transport uniform. He looks at me curiously and smiles, probably wondering what I could possibly be doing out at this hour. I don't bother saying hello to him since I don't feel like being friendly; I just drop my change in the machine and make my way to the very back of the bus, right next to the back door. There's no one else on this bus except me and the bus driver and I want to get out as soon as possible. The bus driver doesn't say anything to me. He looks at me threw his mirrors with curious expressions but I ignore them. Thankfully, my stop isn't that far so I get off quickly and silently. I start to speed walk onto different streets and I see the large brown building that I recognize as the hospital I was in just last week. There's a lot of light coming from the building and it seems really busy. Of course it's a hospital, it'll always be busy. I quickly enter through the main doors. It's not as busy as it is during the day time but there still are people in the waiting areas and nurses and doctors running around everywhere. I see a young pregnant woman being carried away in one of those stretchers with wheels. She's gasping and screaming while a young man, I'm assuming to be her husband, is holding on to her hand trying to comfort her. Judging by how young the couple looks, it's probably their first. And I guess the little one decided to pop out at this hour. I also see a little girl crying as her Mum and Dad try to comfort her. I also see three college age people, two boys and a girl. The girl is trying to comfort one of the boys, she's very touchy and I'm assuming he's her boyfriend. The other boy with them seems to be a friend who's holding a few brown paper bags. I stop examining other patients and quickly make my way to the reception desk. Funny how whenever I see Scorpius, there's a reception desk involved. My mind immediately goes back to that lady who looks like a Barbie doll.

"I'm looking for Scorpius Malfoy", I tell her. She raises an eyebrow at me.

"Scorpius Malfoy?" she asks slowly clearly thinking why anyone in their right mind would name their child such a name. "How do you, um, how do you spell that?" she asks me nervously. I spell out Scorpius's whole name and she types it into her computer but before she could tell me what room he's in, I hear a voice call out my name.

"Rose?" the female voice behind me says. I turn around to see an older woman with thick, straight, platinum blond hair like Scorpius, but hers are filled with white as well. She seems to have a very good figure for an old lady and she looks similar to Scorpius, but her chin is much pointier than Scorpius's. Her eyes are and puffy with gray bags underneath them and it looks like she's been either crying or hasn't had a good night's sleep in a while. Although, I wonder how she recognized me… "I'm Narcissa", she says as she walks over to me, "Scorpius's grandmother". The woman at the reception just stares and tries to hold back her smile, probably thinking what a family of weird names.

"I'm Rose", I say hastily, "nice to meet you".

"Oh, Rose, you shouldn't have come", she says to me kindly, "not now. You should have waited till tomorrow".

"Well, I'm here", I say abruptly and a bit annoyed. "Where is he?" I ask her.

"Come with me", she says leading me to the elevator. Neither of us says anything as we go up to Scorpius's room. She seems like a nice lady though, and I remember what Al told me a while back about his grandmother being very kind and loving towards him. I smile at her since I'm happy she's nice and affectionate to Scorpius. Oh Scorpius! I don't understand my feelings for him right now. I had hated him more than anything just a couple days ago, and now, here I am in the middle of the night at the hospital, worried sick about him. I sigh out of frustration since I can't sort out my thoughts and feelings. I see Narcissa raise an eyebrow at me. Merlin she must think I'm such a drama queen.

We finally reach Scorpius's room and she opens it to reveal a room with four beds. Two of the beds are empty and the one farthest from Scorpius's has curtains around it for privacy. Scorpius is on the one closest to the door and I'm so relieved to see him resting. I watch him breathe as I see his chest moving up and down and he sighs a few times. I'm just glad to see him sleeping peacefully like a baby. He's wearing white hospital sheets and I can see from his shirt peaking out that he's also wearing white hospital clothes. He's got gauze wrapped around his forehead and I gasp when I see there is a light red patch on it just above his left eye. Narcissa notices my gasp.

"It was much worse on Sunday", she tells me. I also see he's got a cast on his left arm and it's hanging by white gauze around his neck. I feel slightly sick to my stomach as I stare at the blood patch on his gauze on his forehead. So I step back and take a seat on one of the chairs before I faint or vomit. Narcissa Malfoy sits next to me as well and puts her hand on my shoulder for comfort.

"H-how did this happen?" I ask quietly after a few minutes of silence.

"I don't know how it happened, but I got a call on Sunday afternoon that Scorpius has been in a car accident", she said as she looks at him. Sunday afternoon was right after the coffee shop fiasco, I realize. Did this happen right after?

"The muggle police don't understand how it happened. They thought he was intoxicated or didn't have a license because it looked like some child had accident press the pedal and drove into the fence", she says shaking her head.

"He drove into _fence_?" I gasp again.

"Yes, he drove through it and hit a large pole on the other side", she tells me.

"He hit a _pole_?" I say again as I gulp, just imagining the scene.

"Yes, they say he's very lucky, though, his injuries were not as bad as the expected. They just don't understand how someone can just do that, even by accident. They checked and there was no alcohol in his blood at all either", she sighs. "His car was completely totaled, the shattered glass had cut his forehead and it hit the steering wheel when he fell unconscious. He broke his arm as well", she tells me as she sighs.

I don't know what to say to this because I can just imagine the scene in my mind. Shattered glass, falling on Scorpius, cutting his skin, and then Scorpius falling unconscious hitting his head on the steering wheel. I wonder how it happened. Was he driving too fast or being careless, I know he does that, but nothing ever happens. He seemed to be very experienced from what I've noticed from my rides with him. How can someone with a proper license and lots of experience just _drive_ _through_ fence?

"I fixed his car with a simple '_reparo'_ and I obliviated the memories of the people in the autoshop. But he's still here, still broken", she said in a small voice.

"Did he say anything? Did he tell you anything?" I ask hoping to get the answer to my question.

"As soon as he woke up, he said he needed to talk to you. He said something about apologizing. I asked him about the accident and he didn't say anything at first but later he just said he was really stressed", she looks at me questioningly. I turn my face away because I think I know why he was stressed but I don't feel like explaining anything to her right now. "He's just really angry at himself, and he won't eat much. At first, when he was still dazed, he said he's not going to eat anything until I get a hold of you, but now he just doesn't say anything and I have to practically force a boiled egg down his throat every morning. He's just really quiet. He tried calling you a few times, but he didn't get to talk to you", she sighed, "So I had to keep trying to get a hold of you, and I got a call from the Alice Tandra that you had decided to end the SCSY volunteering sessions with him. But I didn't tell him yet or he'd get more upset". She finished.

I'm at lost for words. I don't know what message she's trying to convey. Is she telling me I should restart the volunteering thing with him? Is she accusing me of what's happened? Does she think him not eating is my fault? It breaks my heart to know that Scorpius is practically starving himself until he talks to me. Why does he want to talk to me so _badly_? That he's not eating?

"Rose, I'm sorry I've been calling you so much. I tried to use legilimens on him but he's very skilled at blocking his mind that it's always blocked now, even when he's asleep, so I couldn't find out anything. I don't know what happened between you and him but would you please talk to him? Would you please find out why everything happened? What's going on with him?" she said practically begging me. "I don't know what happened and why he's so miserable but he keeps saying he needs to say sorry to you, so please, I beg you, if that's what he needs, would you forgive him, please", she said looking at me with teary eyes. The fat tears were slipping down my cheeks as well and I nodded with pursed lips, so I don't start crying the little girl downstairs.

Narcissa gets up to leave the room, "I'm going to go talk to his doctor", she tells me as she wiped her eyes. I get up as well since I want to go get myself an extra-large coffee from the hospital café downstairs. I'm so tired I think I'm going to collapse. The tears continue falling as I make my way to the elevator and to the café. There are only few people in the hospital café, one of the boys, the friend and the girl, the girlfriend, I saw in the waiting room are here too and they're also having coffees, probably to stay awake. I buy my coffee and go back to the floor Scorpius's room is on. I don't go immediately to his room; I decide to walk around a bit while I control my crying and calm myself. I absorb everything Narcissa told me. Scorpius feels horrible about attacking me that day? He regrets getting in my personal space and hurting me? He feels horrible about touching me without my permission? Well he should. But I feel terrible too, I don't know why; I just want to cry more. Scorpius won't eat anything or do anything, because I'm mad at him? He's in a car accident because he was stressed about me? How can he just drive into fence like that? It makes no sense! And I didn't even bother to pick up his calls. I wipe the little tears on my cheeks and take a deep breath as I make my way back to his room. To my surprise, he's awake but he doesn't look up when he sees the door open. Instead he's just typing away furiously on his cell phone and just a second later, my phone starts ringing. He looks up immediately, a bit surprised. I quickly turn off my phone since there's no phones allowed here.

"Hi, Scorpius", I say quietly from where I'm standing.

"You?" he says surprised, but then his expression changes to anger, "what the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to see you", I say keeping my gentle tone as I walk closer to his bed.

"Well, _you_ can _leave_!" he snarls at me rudely.

"What?" I say a bit confused. I thought he wanted to talk to me. I don't understand this boy! When I'm not here, he's furiously searching for me, and when I'm with him, he's pushing me away? What a nutter!

"Why are you here, Weasley?" He growls at me using my last name rather than my first. Okay so this is how he wants to play.

I sigh knowing I should have expected this. "Like I said before, I came to see _you_, _Malfoy_", I reply using his last name as well but I keep my gentle tone.

"I don't want you here! I thought you hated me? So you can just get the hell out of my face right now!" he says angrily.

"No!" I raise my voice as I see the curtains on the other occupied bed fidget. Ugh! Enough with this kindness! "I'm not leaving until you talk to me, and shove some food in your mouth!" I say firmly refusing to break. hope I don't get in trouble for yelling in the hospital. I hope I don't annoy the other patient in here.

Scorpius blinks. "She told you?" He asks in a quiet but mad voice.

"Yes", I say assuming he's talking about his grandmother telling me about him practically starving himself for me.

"Well, I don't want to talk to you or see you!" he yells getting angrier at the fact that i know.

"Is that why the first thing you did as soon as you woke up was dial _my_ _number_", I remind him. Scorpius looks away knowing I've clearly won this argument. I go closer to him, even though he's being really obnoxious and ungrateful right now.

"Don't come near me", he grumbles as he sees me sit on the side of his bed.

"Too late", I say back and he continues to look away.

"Scorpius, are you going to refuse to look at me, now?" I sigh out of annoyance and frustration at how immature he can be.

"Yes. Because I don't like you, and I want you to stop bothering me and leave me alone" he mutters angrily.

"That's a lie", I say flatly, "you and I both know you don't hate me and you really wanted to see me".

"Fine! I did! Are you happy now?" He yells again in frustration.

"Uh huh", I smile at him. He frowns knowing I'm kind of mocking him with my grin. Scorpius doesn't say anything to me. He just sits there looking away with an angry expression on his face. It's kind of funny actually.

I sigh again out frustration, "Geez, Scorpius, you PMS more than me".

Scorpius looks at me furrowed eyebrows and blinks, before turning his head away again and muttering furiously under his breath.

He's still angry at me but i don't know why. Maybe it's because i haven't been recieving his calls but he should have expected that, after what he did. He should realize that after everything, i'm still here, sitting next to him. I take a moment to forget about everything that happened between us when I decide to hold his hand. "Have you not been eating well?" I ask him quietly after some silence. He doesn't pull his hand away, surprising me and he doesn't respond to my question. "You have to eat well, to recover properly", I say to him again as I stare at the bloodstain on his gauze. "Scorpius, why are you doing this?" I ask him. He doesn't say anything to that either. I sit there with him as I rub his soft, pale, hand for comfort. His hand is very still and he doesn't move it away. We both sit in silence for a few minutes, and I sigh as I let go of his hand and get up to go get him something to eat. But as I'm about to turn around, I feel Scorpius take hold of my hand before I can walk away. He's gentle this time, unlike the day in the coffee shop when he nearly pulled it off.

"I couldn't let you walk away mad at me", he says as he looks at me straight in the eye. "I couldn't let you walk away with tears in your eyes knowing I created them". I just look at him a bit confused as to what he's talking about until I realize he's talking about that day in the coffee shop.

"Scorpius, what did you get mad at me for. I was only joking when I mentioned our first meeting", I say quietly.

"I guess I was just mad because I wanted to talk to you, but you couldn't because you were too busy with Albus and all his friends", he mumbles and I realize that's what it's really about.

"Scorpius, they're not just Al's friends, I'm friends with them too", I remind him gently. "And I was delighted to talk to you, but you chose such a wrong time to call. If I was at my own house, I would talk with you on the phone all night if you wanted me to, but I was at Albus's house, with other people as well, and they were all sleeping. I couldn't just wake everyone up, that would be rude, now wouldn't it?"

"Sorry", he mutters and nods in agreement. "It's just that. I can't sleep early so when I'm awake in my bed, I just feel like talking to you".

"It's alright", I say kindly and we're both silent now.

Scorpius just gazes at me for a couple seconds. "You're so kind and considerate", he says so quietly that I'm not sure if he's talking to me or himself.

"Thanks", I mutter and turn a bit red. "I'm going to get you something to eat", I say and he nods. I turn around towards the door when I suddenly stop. This isn't over yet. I turn back around to look at Scorpius in the eye with a serious expression on my face and he looks at me questioningly.

"What?" he asks when he sees my serious expression.

"Scorpius…" I begin slowly. "How did you just _drive_ _into_ _the_ _fence_?" I ask him.

Scorpius looks at me for a second, blinks and turns his head away. "I dunno", he shrugs slightly.

"Scorpius…" I say, "Look at me". He turns his head to look at me again. "Now tell me the truth. I know you weren't drunk and I know you're a good driver. So what happened?" I demand, slightly afraid of his answer.

Scorpius sighs again, "I dunno, Rose, I really don't", he says again quietly. By now, I can tell when he's lying and when he's telling the truth, and this time, he's definitely lying. I just hope it's not what I'm afraid of…

"Scorpius, were you _high_?" I ask with a small voice. I regret asking because I'm afraid of his answer.

Scorpius just stares at me for a couple seconds before snorting, "No!" he laughs, "I wasn't high, Rose. Where did you get that from?"

I sigh out of relief. But if he wasn't high, then what? "Scorpius, you're killing me here, can you just tell me!" I almost yell.

"You don't wanna know", he sighs and mutters loud enough for me to hear.

"I do!" I insist. I'm a getting a bit freaked out right now. What could his explanation possibly be? Why wouldn't I want to know?

"Rose, I don't think you—"he begins to say again before I cut him off.

"I want to know Scorpius", I say strictly demanding an answer from him.

Scorpius sighs again, "you're not gonna let this go, are you?" I shake my head and he sighs again. "Okay, fine, Rose! If you really want to know then listen, but you're not gonna like it. When you walked away that day, I was so angry and so upset", he begins. I grip the bed sheets as I sit back down and breathe out of nerves since I don't know where this is heading but he's already scaring me. "I was so mad at myself when I was sitting alone in my car. I wanted to see you again and apologize properly. I was mad at myself for putting my hands on you like that and hurting you, and yelling and scaring you. So while I was driving, I couldn't get your crying face out of my mind and I hated myself for that, I hated my own guts and I was just so angry at myself and I wasn't thinking properly, so I drove into the fence 'cause I hated myself for what I did", he finished and sighs again.

My mouth is hanging open, and I am shocked by what I just heard. Scorpius drove into the fence on purpose? He drove into the fence because he was mad at himself for hurting me? Is this like self punishment or something? This is mental! What the fuck! "Scorpius, are you stupid!" I yell at him. "You could have killed yourself, you moron!" I hit him. I know I shouldn't be hitting an already injured person, even if it's on their uninjured arm, but what he did is beyond stupidity! It's frightening and as much as I don't want to know the answer, I can't help but wonder if Scorpius is mentally…No! I know he's perfectly fine! I know it!

"Rose! Sshh, it's okay" Scorpius says trying to comfort me as he sees that I'm crying now, for probably the hundredth time tonight. I can't believe he would hurt himself for hurting me!

"Scorpius, it's not okay! How could you do that to yourself? Scorpius my anger would be short lived but if you lost your life…" I continue to yell and cry as Scorpius holds my hands for comfort.

"I'm sorry, Rose, please stop crying", he insists. How can he expect me to stop crying? He could have _killed_ himself! Does he honestly think saying sorry is going to make it better! What an idiot.

"You're the biggest dumbass in the world!" I yell as I throw myself at him. I don't know why I did it but I really want to hug him, I want to comfort him and I want him to comfort me too. I want him to make me stop crying and I'm really glad when he pats me on the back, a little unsure and nervously, it's like he doesn't know how to hug and comfort someone. But I'm just glad he's okay. We sit there like that for a couple minutes before I stop crying and get a hold of myself as I wipe my tears, "Scorpius", I begin to say as I get myself off of him. "Scorpius, you have to promise me you'll never do that again", I say to him dead serious now.

"Okay", Scorpius shrugs. Is he not taking me seriously? All he has to do is _shrug_? I'm making him promise that he won't play with his life anymore and all he can do is _shrug_?

"Scorpius, I'm not joking!" I almost yell because i'm so angry and frustrated. "If you ever do something like that again, who knows if you'll survive? And if you do, I'll kill you myself!"

"Okay, Rose!" Scorpius said chuckling. I don't understand why he finds this funny. I'm beginning to worry…

"Scorpius", I say almost pleading, "Scorpius, please, I'm not joking here. You said you don't like to see me cry but if you do something irrational and stupid like this, then all I have left to do is cry", I say as I hug him again. He doesn't hug me back properly and I can tell it's because he doesn't know what he should do. He's probably wondering whether he should comfort me or pat me on the back again or even hug me back.

"Okay, Rose", Scorpius sighs, "I promise".

"I'm going to get you some food now", I say as I get up from his bed and head towards the door.

"Rose?" he stops me. I turn around.

"Yes, Scorpius?" I say.

"I'm sorry for everything…everything. Do you forgive me?" He asks me and I realize he's talking about everything that has happened so far, even the fight in the coffee shop.

"I forgave you a long time ago", I say gently knowing how much he needs me to put everything behind me and give him a fresh start and another chance. I smile at him before I gently close the door behind me. I smile to myself out of relief knowing he's okay now, but I can't help but think about his accident. He got angry so he drove into a fence? He let his anger play with his life? And because of me? My friendship with Scorpius is very young and does not justify him _punishing_ himself like that, for me. As I walk down the hall to the elevators, I can't help but wonder if Scorpius is…normal.


	15. The Long Sleepless Night

**A/N: Hi guys. So May is coming to an end and there is less than a month left till my finals. I think this might be the last chapter I do until I'm finished with my exams which end on the 25****th**** of June. If I have time I'll fit another one in before, but I made this longer just in case I don't get to. So I hope you all aren't too angry at me but I do have to focus on school as well. I strongly suggest getting the story alert thing so if I do update, you'll know and you won't have to keep checking from now until June. Thanks for understanding guys.**

Thankfully, Scorpius is in much better condition now. The muggle doctors told me I'm a magician or something. Ha! How ironic! They said that I worked some charm on him or something because ever since I came by, he's so much happier and healthier. Even though I _could_ have worked some charm on him, literally, I didn't have too. Narcissa kept on thanking me for it but I didn't understand why; all I did was talk to him. But she said me just being there helped a lot. Scorpius even asked for an early breakfast around 5:00 am in the morning, and I helped him with his food since he only has one working hand. I told Scorpius all about the party and I don't know why I told him all about Eric as well and every single thing that happened between us. I tell him about everything that happened between us at the Potters' sleepover _and_ at the party.

Scorpius doesn't say anything; he just sits there quietly for a couple minutes with a thoughtful expression on his face. I don't know what he's thinking though, maybe trying to make out the reason for everything I told him. "Maybe he's attracted to you?" he finally says quietly after the silence.

"I already _know_ that", I sigh handing him a glass of orange juice. "But it bothers me that he's attracted to me like _that_, rather than my personality. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah", Scorpius says. "But anyone who isn't attracted to _your_ personality is an idiot, Rose, and it's their loss because you're so kind and wonderful…" Scorpius says trailing off. I laugh and his pale face turns a bright pink color.

"Scorpius! You're a crazy madman but sometimes, you're so sweet and charming", I say to him.

"Really?" he asks a bit surprised. "See that's what I mean when I say you're nice. You see nice things in people and you're really friendly", he laughs. "I remember back in third year you would always sit next to me in every class and talk to me about the most random shit. And whenever I was in the library trying to be alone, you'd pop up in the seat next to me and start talking and trying to help me with my homework. I always thought, fuck! The Weasley girl's here again! I have to get out of here!", Scorpius laughed again but then stopped to think for a second and I turned my face away surprised that he still didn't realize I did all those things because I had feelings for him back in those days. "You'd just be everywhere!" he laughed. "Everywhere I went, you'd pop out of nowhere".

"Sorry, I annoyed you so much", I chuckle a bit uncomfortably.

"You didn't _annoy_ me…well I guess you kind of did…a lot", we both chuckle but Scorpius's expression changes. "But then you suddenly stopped, you started sitting next to Emma Finnegan in classes and you didn't follow me everywhere", he said.

"Yeah", I say again smiling, "you must have been so relieved". I don't bother giving him any explanation about my feelings since it was a long time ago when I was a dumb and silly little girl, plus, it's kind of weird and pointless now.

Scorpius thought for a moment, "Not really. I kind of missed you after that. You were really annoying but when you stopped doing those things, I really missed hearing you talk and you just being around me". I look at Scorpius mildly stunned. He missed me? He barely responded to my attempts at conversation then, he always sounded like he wanted me to shut the fuck up whenever he talked to me back then, now he says he _missed_ me. Just then, I remember what Al told me, those were Scorpius's most difficult days. That's when he got into all that drugs mess and that's when he was as alone as ever. Of course he missed me! I was the only one who ever tried to become friends with him during that time, when he needed someone the most. I get up from the foot of his bed where I have been sitting with my legs up the whole time.

"Where are you going?" He asks me.

"Nowhere", I reply, "I'm just going to take my sweater off, I'm boiling". Once I put my sweater on the chair, I go back to sit on the foot of Scorpius's bed. "If you're done, do you want me to take your tray?" I offer when I notice he's done with his juice.

"Thanks", he says. I get up again and lean down to pick his tray up when he suddenly grabs hold of my arm. "What happened here?" He asks looking at my bruise on my upper arm. I stare at him for a couple seconds. Is he serious? Is _he_ honestly asking me how I got that freakin' purple patch on my arm?

"Do you not know, Scorpius?" I say looking at him straight in the eye. Scorpius looks confused for a second and then his eyes widen as he suddenly remembers.

"Did I do that?" he asks quietly, shocked as he stares at my bruise. He looks up at me and I only nod and look away at the window and watch the sky lighten very slightly. "Oh, Rose, I'm so sorry", he says with sadness in his voice as he gently rubs the bruise that's numb now.

"I know", I say softly as I look at him. "It's okay".

"It's not. I feel horrible for putting my hands on you", he says as he stares at it. I don't say anything but pull my arm away and place his tray on a table. I have no idea what I should say to him. There is nothing I could say that'll change anything. What's been done is done so I just want to forget it now. I had already forgiven him for it so what does he want now? I know he's sorry but there's nothing either of us can do besides get over it and move on. Why does he have to bring it up? "Rose", he says again. I turn to look at him as I walk back to his bed, but I don't take a seat.

"Hm?" I reply.

"Rose, I never wanted to do that", Scorpius says to me. I only nod because it doesn't matter anymore and I know he regrets it. "I tried to apologize but you refused to listen". I shoot him a look.

"So are you saying you did what you did because _I_ wasn't listening to _you_?" I ask him getting more serious now. If he's saying that it's my fault because I refused to listen, then he's mental! _Excuse_ _me_ but I have the right to be mad!

"No!" Scorpius says quickly when he notices my furrowed eyebrows. "I wasn't your fault at all. It was my fault. I shouldn't have gotten so angry at you over nothing".

I sigh. "Scorpius, sometimes, you say things that are really hurtful. And when you said those rude things to me, I was really upset because I thought that after you apologized once, you wouldn't do it again. And your comment about Damien! That was totally unacceptable and crossed the limit", I tell him.

Scorpius looks down and I hope it's out of shame. He should be ashamed of himself. "Rose, I'm so sorry", he says again.

I don't say anything because the more we talk about it, the angrier I get as I remember that scene. "It's over now, Scorpius. Just forget about it". I say as I put my cardigan back on. "I forgive you because I know you're sorry and I'm not mad at you anymore". I give him a small smile to let him know that it's alright now.

"I can't", he mumbles quietly but loud enough for me. "I can't forget about it". I sigh again as I walk over to him.

"Scorpius, we're all human, we all make mistakes", I insist as I try to get him out of his misery. "And mistakes can be forgiven. And I forgive you and I want both of us to forget it now".

"But, Rose. I'm always the one ruining it", he says. "I hate myself. I can't just forget it". I sigh again, but this time, out of frustration.

"Scorpius, please!" I say a bit harshly. "Why can't you just move on? I've forgiven you so what else do you want me to do? You know, the more you bring it up, the more I want to punch you in the face!" Scorpius stares at me for a few seconds and blinks. Just then, totally out of the blue, Scorpius puts his right arm around my waist and pulls me in to hug me. I stand there with my hands hanging down my sides kind of surprised as Scorpius is holding on to me a bit tightly. What the hell is he hugging me for? "Um, Scorpius…" I say slowly. Geez, why is he so touch-y? This is just so…awkward.

"I'm so sorry, Rose", He says as he lets go of me. "You're such a great person. I don't deserve you". Okay…What the hell. What does he mean he doesn't deserve me? We're just friends, God; he's such a drama queen!

"Um, Scorpius", I begin to say. "Y-you don't have to, um, you don't have to do that. I forgive you". I sigh again.

Scorpius turns more red then I have ever seen him yet. "Sorry", he mumbles when he realizes what I'm talking about.

"Scorpius maybe you should lie down", I suggest as I fidget with my fingers. I wonder if he's high…But he seems really embarrassed by what just happened. So Scorpius sighs and lies down on his bed. "I have to use the washroom. I'll be back", I say as I grab my back and head out to the washroom. I actually don't need to use the washroom; I just wanted to get out of there. My moments with Scorpius are so odd. He seems like he just can't be without me and that's just…weird. I'm just a friend, not even a friend of long time. We've just met up a couple times this summer and he already seems to _need_ me. I mean, driving through a fence for hurting me is just…crazy. I sigh as I realize that I need to know more about Scorpius. What's his past? Why aren't his parents here in the hospital? Why is he so dramatic and emotional? I realize what I need to do is find Narcissa. I can't just sit around with all these questions running around in my head ever since the day I met him at SCSY for the first time. Just then, I spot her coming towards me. Ironic, huh?

"Hello, Rose", she says nicely. I stare at her in the eyes for a couple seconds and she raises an eyebrow at me.

"I have to talk to you", I say.

"Of course", she says as she sits next to me. "Is something wrong?" She asks a bit worried.

"Nothing's wrong", I quickly say before she gets too worried. "But I have to ask you some things", I sigh, "About Scorpius". Narcissa doesn't say anything but she just sighs and looks at me, as if she's been expecting this. "Do you know why Scorpius is here? Why he's in a hospital with a broken arm and some serious injuries. Do you know what caused the accident?" I gulped as I asked her whether she knows the real reason. I know she doesn't, but I have to tell her, she needs to know about her beloved Grandson's irrational behavior.

Narcissa doesn't say anything for about a minute. She sighs and looks away and I wait patiently until she looks back at me, "Yes", she says quietly. "I know". What? But wasn't this lady the one who told me 'Oh, Rose, they don't know how it happened; he wasn't drunk' and shit like that?

"But I thought you said…"I say, confused as ever.

"I wanted you to discover on your own", she says again.

"You wanted me to discover this on my own?" I repeat out of disbelief. This isn't some sort of math problem that I have to know how to do it on my own!

"I didn't know how you would react", she says again, "I thought you would just leave and I honestly don't know what happened last week between the two of you but I know it was something bad and I thought you would leave angrily or something".

I sit there stunned for a few minutes. This is so strange. Scorpius pushes me against the wall with all his strength and then gets mad at himself for hurting me and then drives through a fence and into a pole. His grandmother lies to me about it wanting me to discover on my own, like this is a scavenger hunt or something. Then Scorpius throws himself at me and starts apologizing like he's murdered someone or something! I take a moment to absorb this unusual situation. The worst part is that, it's all because of me, someone Scorpius has just met a few weeks ago and only hung out, like, three times with. Why am I caught in the middle of this? I don't want to get involved in any of this madness. Why can't I just turn the switch off in my heart and go home right now?

"Where are Scorpius's parents?" I ask after a long silence. I had been wondering about this for a while, ever since I received Narcissa's phone call. Why is his grandmother here and not his parents? Are they dead? If I was in the hospital, Mum wouldn't leave my side and Dad would be spoiling me with flowers and stuffed animals and chocolate and Hugo would be…cleaning my bedroom for me at home. But where's Scorpius's family. Does he have parents? Or any siblings?

Narcissa looks at me uncomfortably, "Scorpius is not very…close with them". I know it's not my place to ask these questions but, hey, if Scorpius can risk his life because of me, than I think I'm safe to interrogate a bit more.

"What do you mean?" I demand in the moment but regret since it sounds kind of rude.

Narcissa ignores my tone, probably expecting it. "We don't know where his mother is, and he doesn't get along with his father", she says. What do you mean you don't know where his Mum is? This makes no sense.

"Why is Scorpius so…disturbed?" I ask her.

"Because, he's had a lot of things in his life go wrong. He's been through and seen more sorrow than any young boy his age should. He's made a lot of big mistakes as well and I guess it was all just too much for him to handle", she says as tears gather in her eyes.

"Why isn't anyone but you here? Shouldn't his parents be here, or at least his dad, if he's not lost either", I ask as I begin to feel so bad for Scorpius.

"Scorpius's father and grandfather don't know about this?" She says quietly.

"Well shouldn't you tell them?" I ask her calmly even though I'm yelling in my mind. I'm getting a headache because nothing makes sense and she won't tell me anything clearly.

"Scorpius doesn't speak to them", she tells me as she sighs "They're very estranged from each other".

"How can they not know? Aren't they going to wonder why he's not at home or something?" I ask again.

"No, they won't notice", she says quietly. How can you not notice when something from your own home goes missing?

"But won't they wonder if Scorpius is not at home, I mean, you can't just live in the same house and not notice if someone isn't there" I ask making my point sound like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Scorpius doesn't always stay at home. Sometimes he stays at the Malfoy cottage by himself. More North from here", she says uncomfortably.

"Scorpius has his own cottage?" I ask in disbelief. Why the hell does a deranged and crazy nutter need his own _cottage_? I can just imagine Scorpius in a cottage sitting around getting wasted and getting high. This just crazy. Ugh! I need to get out of here. This stupid lady won't give me any proper answers anyway!

"It was a hideout for our family, many years ago", she explains, "way before you and Scorpius were even born. Scorpius does live at home but sometimes, he needs his space and some privacy so he goes there. When he's not at the manor, they just assume he's there. It's like an escape for him", she tells me. I stare at her because I think this is the first clear answer she's given me today. Narcissa and I both sit there in silence, staring out at the first signs of the morning sun. I look down at my watch and realize its 6:00 in the morning. I have to be home! Oh thank Merlin today's Sunday, everyone's probably still asleep.

"I'm so sorry about everything that's happened to him", I say as I put my hand on her shoulder even though I don't know anything clearly, she'll probably want me to _discover_ this on _my_ _own_ too. I still feel terribly sorry for her and Scorpius. I can't believe Scorpius is so miserable. He doesn't know where his Mum is and he's so estranged from his father. I wonder if Scorpius's father is a decent man. Or if he cares about Scorpius. He has to, he's his _father_.

"Rose, I'm so glad Scorpius has someone so compassionate and caring like you in his life. I was afraid it wouldn't work out between the two of you but I'm so glad he really likes you", Narcissa says to me. I turn my head away feeling slightly guilty for quitting on him with SCSY.

"I'm glad that I can help him", I say trying to be nice.

"And I want to thank you for that", she says to me. "I know he's a bit emotional and I know he wasn't nice when you met with him a while ago but I know he loves being around you and I know he loves your friendship. I just don't want him to be alone and lost". I stare at Narcissa's tears and my eyes feel wet as well. I don't know whether it's because I'm tired or it's because I'm touched by her words.

"I have to be getting home soon", I tell her. I feel so sleepy right now I could just collapse on the floor. But I don't want to go home either because I just want to be by Scorpius's side and help him get through all this pain. But I know I have to get home and get in bed before my parents wake up.

"You can borrow my car and driver if you like", she offers. But I decline, I don't know why but I just don't want to be in the Malfoys' car with their driver.

"I want to go say goodbye to Scorpius", I say and she nods before she heads down to the café, probably for a coffee or some breakfast or something.

I go back into Scorpius's room and I see that the other patient is up now. He's a young man who seems to be in his mid to late twenties. He's having his breakfast and talking on his cell phone with his, I'm assuming boss, because he keeps saying 'Sir'. Scorpius, on the other hand, is fast asleep, again. I walk over to Scorpius's bed and smile as he sleeps. He looks like an angel, with his pale skin and platinum blond hair, sleeping peacefully. I touch his face, which is so soft and then the white gauze around his forehead. I realize why Scorpius was over reacting so much about my arm, I know he really likes me and he really likes our friendship, and didn't want to lose it. He was probably horrified by the thought of how close he came to losing me. I don't know how I feel about Scorpius yet but I know I'm touched and I know that I want him to be happy and overcome whatever he's going through. I know I want to be there to help him because no one has ever fascinating me more than Scorpius Malfoy. The other patient has put his phone down now and I can see from the corner of my eye that he's looking at me but I only smile at the sleeping figure in front of me as I gently stroke his soft hair. I know he's asleep and won't hear me but I lean down to whisper in his ear. "You won't lose me", I softly say before kissing him on the cheek and leaving the hospital room.

…

It's a bit past 6:30 and I'm standing outside the hospital a bit confused as to how I should get home since there isn't a bus coming for another forty minutes and I need to get home _now_. Dad sometimes wakes up extra early on Sundays too since it's his week day routine. I can't call a cab since I forgot my wallet at home when I was rushing. I look down at my watch again when it suddenly hits me. Ben would be up right now! He gets up early morning on Sundays to work out. But would he be awake right now, we went to bed really late last night from the party. I don't want to call him because I don't want to wake him up if he's sleeping. So instead I _text_ him that I need a huge favor and to my surprise he texts back really quickly.

_Morning, Sunshine. What's up?_

I sigh out of relief and dial his number. "Hi, Ben", I say when he picks up.

"Hi", he greets me back. "What are you doing up at this hour? Working out your arms as well?" He chuckles.

"No", I laugh lightly, "Don't get freaked out or anything, but I'm at the hospital", I say.

"What!" He almost yells and I hear a loud crash.

"Ben?" I say worried when I don't hear him. "Ben? Are you there?"

"Sorry, I dropped my phone", he says when he gets back on the line. "What's wrong? Is everything okay? Why are you at the hospital? At this hour?"

"Everything's fine. I'm fine too. I was just wondering if you could pick me up. I have to get home before my parents wake up and there's no other way. I'm so sorry if I'm disturbing you".

"Um, sure…I can pick you up" he says slowly. "But why are you at the hospital?"

"I'll explain when you get here", I tell him. I give him the name and the address of this place before we say goodbye and end the call. I kind of feel bad that I'm disturbing his work out. Ben's one of those people who takes his body really seriously and I think it's really mature of a teenage boy. Even though he's not overly cautious of what he eats, he works out a lot. He's really muscular, just like James, Fred and Eric. All four of them are on our quidditch team, and along with Fred, Ben plays beater so he's got really strong arms. Now that I think about, I actually became really close with Ben when I joined the team. I guess now whenever I need a friend, he's the first one on my mind. Fifteen minutes later, I see Ben's Lexus pull in the curb and I quickly get in.

"What's going on? What are you doing here?" he demands as soon as he starts driving. I notice he's in a pair of red and black soccer shorts and a grey hooded sweatshirt and I feel even guiltier now.

"Ben, can you promise to keep a secret", I sigh. I need to tell someone about Scorpius because it's too much for me to keep inside, and since Ben's always there for me, I think he deserves to be the one to know.

"Yeah, of course", he says looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

I take a deep breath, "Remember Scorpius Malfoy?"

"Scorpius Malfoy?" He repeats a bit surprised, "Um…that pale, super blond, angry looking Slytherin dude who looks like he wants to rip someone's throat out?" Ben says. I chuckle slightly as I realize he's described Scorpius pretty well.

"I've met up with him a couple times this summer", I tell Ben.

"Oh my goodness! You're seeing him!" Ben asks shocked. "That kid used to have like a gaunt face and blood-shot eyes and looked so high all the time. He used to be like a scary ghost! Rose, what did you ever see in him?" Ben shakes his head in disbelief and disappointment.

"I'm not seeing him Ben", I quickly tell him. "And come on, he doesn't look like that anymore".

"Yeah, I guess he doesn't, but are you like _friends_ with him now or something?" he asks me.

"Yeah, I am. But the thing is; my parents don't know…" I say nervously as I fidget with the zipper of my purse.

"Um, should I be concerned?" he asks worriedly. "Why are you hiding it from your parents?"

"Not just my parents. None of my friends know either, except Al and Emma, and now, you".

"Why are you hiding it? Is Malfoy blackmailing you or something? Is he making you do things?" Ben asks me worried.

"No! Not at all! He's really sweet to me", I lie partially since sweet isn't a word that describes Scorpius best. "The thing is, he's really miserable. He's kind of disturbed and has a lot of troubles in his life. He's being counseled", I tell him.

"Really? But isn't the Malfoy family like all up-there and noble and all that shit? Aren't they like perfect or something?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought too when I found out. But they've got some serious problems. I don't know the details though, but Scorpius really needs a friend so I decided to befriend him, and he's kind of emotional and does irrational things. I don't think my parents would want me to be around him so I didn't tell them", I explain trying to tell the truth but hide as much as I can at the same time.

"I see", Ben says, "So why were you at the hospital? He's not in rehab is he?"

"No!" I quickly say. "He was in a car accident, and I came to see him right away".

"He has a car?" Ben asks me surprised. "Doesn't his family like hate on all-things-muggle?"

I snort, "That's what I thought too but apparently not. Scorpius is not prejudiced at all though". I see Ben's car turn into my street and neither of us says anything as he pulls into my driveway. "Do you want to come in?" I ask him.

"Your parents are gonna be up soon, you should go lie down and pretend to be asleep if you really want to pull this off", he smiles.

"Whatever, as long as I'm home, I'll just say I got up early", I shrug and smile back. "Come on, please!" I insist. I don't know why but I just feel like having company, a friend, someone to talk to right now.

"Fine", Ben laughs as he reverses his car and parks on the corner of the curb so it's not on our driveway anymore. I don't want Mum or Dad to look out the window and know someone's in the house. We both get out and quietly slip inside the house with my keys. The lights are still off and I can hear Dad's snoring since his bedroom is right above where we're standing It's not dark anymore though since all the curtains are open and the morning sun is peering through. We tip toe upstairs into my bedroom and I shut the door as quietly as I can.

"You know this is the first time I've been in your bedroom", he tells me.

"Really, but you've been to my house a couple times before, though", I say point out as I remember.

"Yeah, but I've never been upstairs", he shrugs as he plops down on my bed. "Comfy bed. You've got a nice bedroom, it's not as ridiculously girly as I expected".

I laugh as I pick up my pajamas from the floor, "Ben! You think I'm a girly girl?"

"No, not particularly, but like it's not…pink!" He says trying to find the rights word.

"Were you expecting pink?" I laugh again.

"I don't know. Don't all girls have neat and organized pink rooms with, like, stuffed teddy bears and a canopy bed?" He says smiling cunningly. I can tell he's teasing me.

"Yes they do. When they're eight years old! Plus, I like my room to be messy and relaxed, it's more chills, you know?"

"Yeah! You're such a dude", he teases me again.

"No I'm not!" I defend myself, "I'm really girly to you know. I take my clothes, hair and makeup really seriously", I tell him truthfully. Ben laughs.

"_Oh you fancy, huh?_" Ben sings to one of my favorite songs. I laugh and throw my cushion at him as I walk to my bathroom.

"I'm gonna change into my pajamas so It looks like I was here the whole time", I say before going to my washroom to change. Once I come out in my shorts and t-shirt, I see Ben hovering over my desk staring at my fifth year notebooks and I'm utterly horrified when I realize what he's looking at.

"Oooh! Mrs. Rose _Wood_?" He asks me as he tries to hold back his laughter but fails miserably. I turn red out of embarrassment. "'Eric plus Rose equals true love'?" He reads it and shoves it in my face.

"Ben! That's private; you weren't supposed to see that!" I say kind of upset. I'm not laughing with him because I'm kind of pissed that he's looking at my private things.

"I'm sorry but this is hilarious!" He falls on my bed from the exaggerated laughing.

"Ben, it's not funny", I say half seriously.

"Okay, but come on, it kind of is. '_Seek_ me and I'll _keep_ you'?" he quotes my notes. "Is that 'cause he's seeker and you're keeper? That's a good one!"

"Shut up, Ben!" I laugh lightly since that _was_ kind of funny. I shove all my lasts year's books in my drawers before he sees the things I wrote about mine and Eric's supposed future home, three kids and a dog. That would be even more embarrassing.

"Wow, you are such a girl!" he says as he pulls himself together now.

"Surprise, surprise!" I say sarcastically.

"I'm joking!" he tells me. "I took a picture of it with my cell phone when you were in the bathroom and I'm gonna show it to James and Fred, and maybe Eric", he smiles smugly.

I gasp, "Ben you wouldn't!" He won't do that to me! Oh Merlin! How embarrassing!

"Yes I would, we all need a good laugh!" he smiles cunningly.

"Ben, please!" I say pleadingly. It would be so humiliating for them to see, and they'd tell the whole world about it and everyone would laugh at me!

"Come on, Rose lighten up. No one will make fun of you!" he insists. I don't say anything for a couple seconds. I can't let him show anyone.

"Give me your phone", I say.

"Why?" he asks curiously.

"I want to see the pictures", Ben holds out his phone and I quickly grab it to try to delete them but he realizes what I'm going to do so he chases me around the room and wrestles it from me.

"Oh no!" he says when he takes his phone back, "I'm keeping these forever!"

I stare at him. "Ben, no", I say as my voice gets smaller since I'm on the verge of tears as I sit on my bed. "Please! You can't show anyone!" I say as tears gather in my eyes.

"Merlin, Rose! You're crying?" He says in shock and sits next to me. "I was just joking! I was only teasing you!" I stare at him again and he puts an arm around me. "Here", he hands me his phone, "take a look, there are no pictures in here". I take his phone and see that he's right; there are no pictures of my notes in there. I sigh out of relief.

"You are such a douchebag!" I say kind of angry and kind of happy now as I punch him on the arm.

"You're so emotional!" he replies as he rubs his arm. "Do you honestly think I would do something like that to you?"

"I don't know, you are, after all, James and Fred's best friend, and they've always found amusement in pestering me", I tell him and he laughs.

"Come on, Rose, even after all those years, you never really knew me", he sighs and lies down on my bed.

"That's not true!" I quickly say looking at him.

"I know, I know", he assures me. "So how long have you been liked Eric for?"

"I don't know exactly", I say trying to think, "Almost a year, I think".

"Do you still like him?" he asks me his expression turning a bit more serious now.

"I don't know", I shrug and look down. I really don't know whether I like him anymore. "I don't think I really know him that well".

"So get to know him", Ben suggests.

"Nah", I shrug again since I'm not that interested anymore. "I don't think I'm completely over him but I don't think I'm going to be obsessing anymore".

"So if Eric was to call you up right now and asked you to be his girlfriend, what would you say?" he asked me as he sat up, still lounging on my bed, while I sat cross legged on the side of it.

"I would say no of course", I say immediately.

"Wouldn't you even think about it?" He asks me surprised at my answer.

"No, I mean on what basis would he be asking me out on? We barely know much about each other's personality. Sure we're on the same Quidditch team and same house, but we're not even close friends. I don't think I've ever even hung out with him alone", I explain.

"That's true. I think it's important to be close friends before you fall in love", he agrees.

"Exactly! Or you don't know who you're even falling in love with. It's important to have a good understanding of each other before you go into a relationship or even get married".

"Would you ever want to get married and have kids?" He asks me.

"Um, if I find someone I really love, I guess so. But I definitely want kids! I love babies and children, well, tamed children", I laugh.

"What would you do if you're single but really want a baby", Ben laughed.

"I don't know Benny", I rolled my eyes. "Find a sperm donor, maybe", I say sarcastically. Ben laughed and so did I. "How about you? Do you want to ever get married and have children?"

"Yeah", Ben blushed. "If I find someone I love, I would want to have a baby girl".

I gasped, "Awww! That's so cute! All the other guys are just like, 'I'm gonna stay single and party and have a different chick every week'", I imitate some of the guys I know. Ben laughs at my imitation of a deep voice.

"I don't get why girls want kids, like, you have to, like, get, like, pregnant, and you know, give birth", Ben says awkwardly.

I laugh at his thought, "You're so funny. But you're right, I guess it's one of those things that make it even more exciting", I sigh, "Guys have everything so easy".

"No we don't!" He quickly says. "We've got issues too, you know".

"Yeah but girls have it harder. With everything", I say.

"That's what you think", he says. "Sometimes, it's hard for us too. I could never say the thing about wanting to get married and have a daughter in front of the guys. They'd just think I'm a 'softy' or something", Ben said making quotation marks with his fingers at the word 'softy'. I chuckle. Ben and I sat there till 8:30 talking about anything and everything. It was nice because we got to bond properly after such a long time. "I'm hungry", Ben finally said after a while and I laughed when I heard his stomach groan.

"Wanna make pancakes?" I ask as I realized I'm kind of hungry too.

"Yes!" He said excitedly as he got up.

"Then let's go downstairs and make some!" Ben follows me as we tip toe down to the kitchen to make some breakfast. My whole family is still asleep, since it's Sunday and I doubt anyone will be up before ten. I realize haven't had any sleep for 20 hours and surprisingly I'm not tired anymore. I was really tired at the hospital but ever since Ben came, I'm not tired anymore and I just feel normal.

"So how do we make pancakes?" he asked me as he rolled up his sleeves.

"Okay, we've got a box of pancake mix here somewhere", I say as I opened the cabinets. I spot the box on one of the top shelves and try to reach it, but I can't since its way too high for me but then I Ben comes up from behind me and reaches for the box.

"Shorty!" he teased. I stuck my tongue out at him. I prepare the mix while Ben turns on the TV to a very low volume and flips through channels. He comes back in the kitchen to help me but he only ends up spilling some of the batter on the floor, which he cleans up by magic using my wand since he forgot his at home, since he's seventeen. "Can we make eggs too? And bacon?" he asks.

I chuckle. "Sure", I say because I know he usually has a big breakfast since he works out early morning.

"Now what can we put in it", he says to himself as he stands in front of the refrigerator trying to find things to put in the eggs.

"Let's start with the eggs first", I suggest.

"Good idea!" he says as he takes out the carton of eggs. He spots some shredded cheese at the back and takes that out as well why I cook the pancakes. I watch him, laughing at his failed attempt at cracking an egg.

"You're finding this amusing, aren't you", he asks me as he looks down at his gooey hands.

"Uh, huh", I say sweetly as I try to hold back my laughter. Ben walks over to the sink to wash his hands and I turn around to take out some of the ready pancakes from the pan. Just then I feel wet hands all over my right thigh and I turn around. "Ben!" I yell as I realize he's wiped his hands on my bare legs.

"Who's laughing now?" he says smirking.

"Oh my god, Ben, you're so dumb!" I yell and laugh as I walk over to the sink and wipe it with a wet cloth. "I'm gonna get you back for that!"

"Yeah okay", he snorts. Once I wipe the egg of my leg we go back to preparing breakfast. We decided we'd just make breakfast for my whole family since we're making it anyway and Ben almost had a heart attack when I couldn't find the bacon, but I did find it in the very back of the fridge and earned a big hug from him, which I found quite funny. Boys are so emotional when it comes to food, and then there's Scorpius who's just generally emotional.

"I love your kitchen! It has everything", he says excitedly as he pulls out orange juice from the fridge and muffins and cookies from the pantry. I laugh as I put the pancakes, eggs and bacon on the table and Ben helps me set it for five, and just then, right on time, I heard footsteps coming downstairs and heard my Mum's voice from the hall.

"Mmm! Smells delicious! Hugo, what did you make?" she says as she comes into the kitchen but stops when she sees me and Ben standing there. She's surprised to see me up before noon and she's surprised that I have a friend over in the morning. Plus Hugo's the early riser and he loves cooking.

"Um, hello Ben", she says smiling at him as she looks at me, giving me a look, 'what's he doing here?' Mum didn't seem mad or anything since she really like's Ben, since he's such a nice person.

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley! Good Morning! We made breakfast!" he replied cheerfully.

"I can see that. And it smells very good", Mum said nicely.

"I woke up around 8:30 and I called Ben around 9:00 because I was bored so I invited him over and we decided to make breakfast together for you guys", I lie in my most genuine sweet voice. Ben doesn't say anything since he knows a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, even if it's lying to her parents.

"Oh, thank you, Darling" she says hugging me, "Thank you to you too, Ben", she ruffled his hair. "Your Dad and I Hugo, who I guess is still in his room, should be down soon as well". Like Mum had said, Dad and Hugo were down in the kitchen a couple minutes later. They were both surprised to see Ben as well and Mum explained to them. I felt kind of guilty for lying to them, but hey, it's not like I did it on purpose. All in all, it was a good morning and it felt nice having breakfast with the family. I can't remember the last time I had breakfast before today or with my family on a Sunday, since I've been sleeping in so much. Ben being here was also amusing and he was fun to talk to as well and he was telling us a funny story about when he went to France two summers ago with his Dad and his brother. I was enjoying a cup of coffee when I suddenly felt my behind vibrate. I reached into the back pocket of my shorts and pulled out my phone, I had received a text.

_I'm awake and I miss you already _

**A/N: Hi everyone, so anyone want to take a guess as to who's text that was? *wink*. So I got a reviewer saying that they wanted to see Ben and Rose together. I had never really thought of that when I was doing the original planning but as this story is moving along and I'm letting it write itself, I can see why someone would say that. I had originally planned for Rose to have this relationship, that she has with Ben, with Eric, and for her to fall for him. But obviously it didn't work out that way from the very beginning. So I took this chapter, which I had no intention to write, to play around with the chemistry of Ben and Rose. Now I realize there are so many ships possible in this story. Rose/Scorpius, Rose/Ben, Rose/Eric, Rose/Damien, Rose/Lance, Rose/Mark (ew!), Rose/Jake, Rose/Zack, Rose/Donny, Rose/Nick...LOL. Now that's a lot for one girl, but I'm sure most of them she could never even imagine being with. So which one are you rooting for and which one would you like to see me do a 'chemistry experiment' on the most? LOL. Also, feel free to pm me if you have any questions or want to discuss the story or the characters. I'd be glad to. One reader had done that a couple days ago and i had a nice time talking to them about Scorpius's motives and Roses's behaviour. So if you want to, feel free, and i would love to talk to a reader about that stuff. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review and maybe i'll squeeze another one in before exams *wink. Love you all, take care! **


	16. To Love the Craziness of Malfoy

**A/N: Hi! So I have an exam in less than 48 hours and i decided to post a new chapter! I am so smart (being sarcastic here) I had written most of it, so i just thought, what the hell, i'll fininsh it and put it up. You guys should be really thankful for my horrible study habits! (just kidding) Anyways enjoy! **

"You're crazy!" I angrily yelled at my Dad as we came barging in through the front doors.

"And you're irresponsible! You could have killed someone!" He yelled back. Mum came from the kitchen to see what the commotion was all about and Hugo came downstairs as well. "She is _not_ touching the car again!" He yelled informing Mum.

"What happened?" Mum asked worried. Dad had taken me out to practice driving today. I've been practicing with my Mum for the past couple days but she couldn't take me today since she wasn't feeling well earlier so I agreed to let him take me. It's the first time I had ever gone practicing with him and now I think it's the last time. That man is crazy psychotic freak! He's going to make me crash the car!

"I didn't stop _completely_ at a stop sign and Dad thinks I've _risked_ lives!" I spat.

"Hermione, what if someone had to cross the street?" Dad said to Mummy matching my tone of anger.

"But _no_ _one_ was there!" I told Mum before she could even reply to him. "I _saw_ that no one was there so I slowed down my speed but kept moving".

"_And_ you broke the law!" Dad insisted and turned to Mum. "Hermione, I am _not_ taking her to practice ever again".

"I don't want to go with you anyways! You'll just make me crash the car with all your yelling!" I retorted.

"Rose, what's wrong is wrong", He said sternly.

"But you don't have to yell at me!" I yell out of frustration, "Next time I'm at a stop sign, I'll _turn_ _off_ _the_ _ignition_ as well!" Dad just stared at me with flared nostrils and Hugo snorted as he held back his laughter.

Mum sighed, "Ron, I told you you've got to remain calm, she's new to this".

"Yeah, Dad, remain calm!" I agreed. Dad frowned at me and Mum shot me a look that said 'Be quiet, Rose'.

"But I have to tell her if she's doing something wrong", he said a bit more calmly now.

"Yeah but you don't have to yell at me about it", I tell him calming myself as well.

"I wasn't yelling", he defended himself.

"Um, yes you were. My hands were shaking from your yelling", I inform him.

Mum sighed again, "Okay, that's enough now. I've made coffee and Hugo's made some carrot muffins, would you like to come in and have some?" She asked us.

"No thanks!" I say looking angrily at my father before I storm upstairs. Hugo and Dad follow Mum into the kitchen where my Mum tries to calm Dad down and tell him to be patient with me.

I feel so angry right now, no one was at the stupid stop sign and he made such a big deal about it. How am I ever going to learn how to drive properly if I have someone constantly screaming at me? I like practicing with my Mum better, she's so much more calm can patient, and she's been driving since she was sixteen since she's grown up in a muggle home. Dad only started driving after they got married. Ugh! I sigh out of frustration again as I take out my cell phone to call a friend and complain about my crazy Dad. I see that there is an old text from Louis that I had forgotten to delete. Speaking of Louis, I should probably check up on him. Poor boy, discovering his girlfriend was only seeing him to win a bet, and then being publicly humiliated by his sister in front of practically all the senior students (senior being years 5 to 7) in our school. If that were me, I'd probably not even show up at King's Cross on September 1st, but then again, Louis is good to look at so that'll help him redeem himself. Geez, I'm sounding more and more like Priya. I decide to call Louis to see how he's doing, so I dial his number. Ever since the fiasco at Eric's a couple days ago, I haven't talked to him. I wonder how it's going with him and Dominique and whether he's still upset about Bonnie. I feel guilty for not checking up on him earlier, but I've been so busy with Scorpius. He's really time-consuming to be honest. I've visited Scorpius almost every day ever since that day I went to see him in the middle of the night. He constantly text's me every night after I leave to make sure I'm going to come see him again the next day. And in the mornings, he'll always call me and say, '_Are you coming. Hurry up, I really miss you'_. He always manages to make me smile because it's so adorable. I don't think anyone's been so…hooked on to me like he is. On weekdays, my Dad is never home, and Mum's at work on Mondays and Tuesdays as well, so I can get out of the house without them ever knowing. I also visited him on Wednesday and told Mum I was going to the mall with Bonnie. That reminds me, I should probably call Bonnie too; I haven't seen her talked to her since Saturday. I dial Louis's number and wait patiently for him to pick up.

"Hello?" he says.

"Hi, it's, Rose", I say, even though he probably recognized my voice.

"Oh, hi, Rose", he says mildly cheerfully.

"What's up? How are you?" I ask slowly.

"Oh. I'm okay, I guess. Just been busy with Victoire lately, helping her with wedding preparations and stuff", he tells me.

"How's Victoire doing?" I ask him. "She must be so stressed. Poor girl she's probably regretting not eloping".

Louis chuckles lightly at my joke. "Yeah, she had an emotional breakdown yesterday", he informs me.

I gasp slightly, "Oh my! Is she okay now? Why did she break down?" I asked him. I feel kind of bad for Victoire. Maybe this wedding is becoming too stressful for her. I bet she can't wait till it's all over, and she can just go off to her honeymoon with Teddy and just do all that is fun.

"Teddy came by yesterday afternoon. He said he needed to talk to her, and he seemed pretty serious", Louis told me.

"Uh, huh", I say to show that I'm listening with my undivided attention. I remember reading a magazine that said people that are the youngest child often feel like they are unheard, so I'm listening extra carefully.

"They talked in the back garden for a while. I could see she was getting a bit upset and when he left, she was just quiet through the rest of the afternoon and the evening but last night, her and I were sitting in the living room watching a television with Mum and Dad and she just started crying like crazy and Mum was so worried and we were trying to comfort her but she refused to say what's going on", he finished.

"I hope she's alright. I hope nothing serious happened", I say concerned. I sincerely hope everything goes okay for her, she's a very sweet and nice person, and deserves to be happy. I wonder what Teddy could have said to her to make her so

"I know it's that conversation with Teddy that got her so worked up but I wonder what he said", Louis says what I was thinking.

"I just hope nothing goes wrong before the wedding", I say.

She keeps hugging me today", Louis chuckles. "It's kind of awkward".

"No, it shouldn't be awkward; I hug Hugo all the time. No wait! Hugo hugs me all the time", I laugh.

"She keeps saying how I'm the best baby brother in the world. Like I'm a little boy or something, and I don't even know what I did", Louis tells me, I can tell his mood has perked up and he finds all this quite amusing.

"Well I guess to her, you're a baby brother, she's 22 and you're 16", I tell him.

"That's true", he agrees. "She's even talking to me about getting me a new suit for the wedding. But she said if I want to bring a date, I have to tell her first and I've got to tell her the colour of my date's dress so she can match my pocket thingy to the dress", he laughed.

"Pocket thingy?" I laugh with him.

"Well, I don't know what it's called!"

"So are you bringing a date?" I ask him. I wonder if he'll say something about Bonnie. It would make sense for him to invite her, I mean, if he still likes her, of course.

"I don't know", he says without thinking. "There's no one I'd really want to take. How about you, who are you gonna bring for your 'plus-one'".

"I don't know", I say the same thing because I really don't know either. "I'll probably just invite Emma or something, or I'll just invite Ben 'cause he loves the food at weddings". Louis and I both laugh at my last comment and I feel happy that he's laughing.

"Yeah, I think I'll just get Donny to come. So anyways, I've been meaning to ask you, what was up with you and Eric at the party?" Louis asks me teasingly. I just sit there kind of shocked. What the hell does he mean? Does he know something? Geez, it's like I've got '_I fancy Eric'_ tattooed across my forehead.

"Um, what are you talking about?" I laugh nervously to conceal my tension.

"You know what I'm talking about", he replies. "You guys were dancing like you were glued to each other. And he kept staring at you. Oh yeah and someone said he could get his hand off your bum!", Louis laughed.

"Oh, yeah, he was just drunk, and you know me I'm like a sexy magnet", I say sarcastically making him laugh. "And what the fuck, who's going around saying these things?"

"Just random people. But he kept asking when you'd arrive since you came a bit later", Louis informs me. I'm a bit surprised. Eric was waiting for me? He kept asking about me? This is sort of pleasing...I smile to myself, even though I'm still confused about my feelings for him, I'm kind of happy.

"We're just good friends, I guess. Maybe that's why", I try to play dumb. Even though I'm sure I'm as convincing as Uncle Percy when he tries to talk about Quidditch like he knows what it's all about.

"I don't think so, missy. When Ben told Eric he had to go get you, Eric's just like, 'I'll go you can stay here'", Louis informs me. So Eric offered to pick me up! Damn! Imagine that! I would have loved that, it would've given us a chance to talk and bond and maybe I could have told him how I feel...who am I kidding? I'm such a coward; I wouldn't be able to tell him! But maybe we could have kissed...romantically...

"Then why didn't he?" I ask Louis a bit disappointed at fate. It just doesn't seem to like me very much.

"I don't know", Louis says slowly trying to remember. "I think Ben was like, 'its fine', or something. I don't remember much of that night", He says again diverting the topic.

"So, um, how have you been, uh, holding up with, uh—" I try to ask about Bonnie before he cuts me off.

"You wanna ask about Bonnie?" He sighs. Smart child!

"Um, yeah, but we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to", I tell him quickly to let him know there's no pressure. I've also read boys often feel a lot of pressure when it comes to girls and they need to be told that there is no rush or something.

"No, it's okay, Rose", He says lightly. "I was actually hoping to ask you whether she's talked to you".

"No, I haven't talked to her since Saturday", I tell him truthfully. "Why?"

"Oh" He replies surprised. "Do you think she actually meant it when she says that she actually likes me now?" He asked me.

"I think she does. She told me, and she wouldn't lie to me", I try to stay optimistic, even though I can't bet a galleon on where this whole situation is going to go.

Louis sighs, "I think I just want to take a break from all this".

"Well, I guess that's your choice and if you want to do that, you should", I try to be supportive.

"Thanks, Rose", he says again. "So did you hear about James and Al hooking up at the party with those fifth year Gryffindors?"

"Yeah", I gasp as I remember. "It's so funny, 'cause Arielle and Sofia are best friends and Al and James are brothers".

Louis laughs, "Yeah, that's true. Al officially asked Arielle to be his girlfriend, like officially, on Monday evening", Louis informed me.

"Officially?" I repeat and chuckle, even though I'm kind of pitying myself for being single, "That's funny".

"Yeah he said Monday was her 15th birthday", Louis informed me.

"Her fifteenth?" I gasp lightly, "She's kind of young".

"Yeah, I know, a year and half younger than Al since she's born in July and he's born in January".

"Do you realize she was only fourteen when they hooked up on Saturday?" I laugh at the weird thought.

"Yeah!" Louis says. "It's the same with James and Sofia as well. Sofia's turning sixteen in September and James turned seventeen in March. They're also a year and half apart".

"Oh my gosh! That's such a coincidence. I wonder if they consult each other about girls and coordinate", I joke. Louis laughs."And how do _you_ know all this?"

"Al told me. At first I kind of felt bad for Sonia. I overheard her talking to Dominique on the phone and I think she was crying", Louis said.

"I guess she would" I say, "I mean it's none other than her sister, right?"

"Yeah but then Dominique's just like, 'oh why were you kissing Tyler Higgs at Eric's party. What's up with that? You know I used to have a thing for him back in fourth year' and shit like that".

"Wow!" I say in disbelief at what a manipulative bitch Dominique is. "That's like three years ago, come on she can't be serious. Plus, she has a boyfriend now too. And why's Sonia getting so upset over James and Sofia if she's got Tyler. He's really kind of sexy too", I point out.

Louis chuckles. "Dom thinks she's special or something, like everyone else, even her supposed friends, are worthless compared to her, just because she thinks she's pretty. And Sonia just wants to have _someone _because God forbid she has no one to swoon over her", he said bitterly.

"I'm sorry about Dominique", I say when I don't know what else to say to him. I'm also referring to the fight they had at Eric's house, where I got knocked out.

"Nothing I can do", he sighs. "She's being so mean to Victoire lately. She's like 'I'm not gonna wear your fucking dress, it looks like my piss', and she has to wear it cause she's a bridesmaid and it's gotta match and stuff", Louis explains to me.

"mm hm", I say showing my agreement. "Just ignore her. You have a lot more to worry about, especially with the wedding coming up", I say.

"Yeah, true", he agrees. "So what's up with you?" he asks, "Wanna admit you have the hots for Eric?" He laughs.

"Um, No! I don't!" I said again in denial, thanking God that he's not here to _see_ me turn bright red.

"Sure, Rose, Sure", He laughed. Just then I heard a faint yelling coming from his end. Louis paused for a few moments to listen. "Hey, I have to go help Victoire with her dress", Louis said.

"Oh, okay", I say.

Louis laughs, "No one's home except me so she needs me to help her".

"Have fun!" I say a bit sarcastically. Louis laughs again before we say our goodbyes and he hangs up.

I'm glad that he's happy again. He was a mess that day and I can't help but feel a bit bitter towards Bonnie. She shouldn't have done this to begin with. It's totally insensitive; she should have just ended it before school ended if she didn't like him, instead of leading him on so far. I don't know if I really want to talk to Bonnie right now, and even if I did, I don't think I could because my '_lovely'_ friend Scorpius keeps calling me.

"Hello", I say as I pick up after his five missed calls and eleven text messages.

"Oh, thank Merlin you're okay!" Scorpius sighs.

"What's wrong?" I ask a bit confused. "Um, why wouldn't I be okay?"

"I don't know, you weren't picking up your phone so I thought you died or something!" he says all anxious.

That's a bit...intense, nice to know he worries about my well being...sort of. "Scorpius... I'm fine. I was talking to someone else", I explain.

He sighs out of relief, which I find quite funny actually. "Who?" Scorpius demands instantly.

"Um, my cousin", I say.

"Which one?" He demands again. I wonder why he's getting so serious.

"My cousin Louis", I say again slowly and confused.

"Oh", He says, "What were you guys talking about?" He asks me a bit more relaxed now.

"Just life", I say, "Why?"

"Oh, just wondering. What was he saying?" Scorpius asks me. A bit interrogating, I think...

"Just things, Scorpius", I sigh to show my annoyance at his questions.

"Things like what?" He demands.

"Scorpius, why do you care?" I ask him annoyed. Geez, does he have to know everything? Next time I have to go take a washroom, I'll call him up first, '_Hey Scorpius, I'm alive and I gotta go take a piss, just wanted to get your blessings first_' Ugh!

"I don't!" He quickly says when he hears my annoyed tone of voice. "I was just wondering, Merlin, Rose, you get so worked up about things".

"_I_ get worked up?" I demanded. Scorpius is the last person to accuse anyone of getting worked up; the dude goes through more mood swings then a pregnant woman! "You're the one interrogating me!"

"I was just asking a bloody question and you took it so seriously!" Scorpius said.

"Whatever!" I sigh loudly. "Is there something you needed", I ask calmly.

"Just you", He replies sweetly. How phony! I know he's only doing it to make my mood happier, since he knows I'm kind of mad at him. '_Just you_', my ass!

"Scorpius, I was just with you earlier today". I had gone to visit Scorpius today right after breakfast. Of course Mum and Dad demanded to know where I was going so I told them I was going to go practice quidditch with Ben at his house, since Ben's in on the secret and can handle my parents if they call his house or ask him questions.

"Yeah, but I want you to come again", Scorpius said.

"I can't today", I tell him, and "I have to go out with my family".

"Oh. Where?" He asks casually, careful not to make me angry again with his interrogation.

"We have to go to dinner at my Aunt Ginny's. It's just something my family does with their family a lot", I explain. It's true, we always go over to the Potters or the Potters come to our place. It's because my parents are really close with Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, since Aunt Ginny's my Dad's sister and Uncle Harry is both my parents' childhood friend.

"Can't you go some other time?" Scorpius asked, borderline of whining like a baby.

"No, I can't, it's a family tradition sort of thing. But I promise to come tomorrow", I tell him trying to cheer him up. Geez, I couldn't stay mad at him for too long! Ugh!

"Whatever" he says bitterly

"Scorpius..." I sigh, remembering what Narcissa told me about him being practically obsessed with me since I'm the only close friend that he has.

"If you were in the hospital, Rose, I wouldn't even leave your side for a second", he tells me trying to make me feel guilty. But then again, he probably wouldn't leave my side for a second. That wouldn't be very pleasant though. I mean, what if I'm in my hospital room and I need to change my hospital gown or something.

"Oh, Scorpius", I sigh, at his lame attempts.

"What?" He snaps at me.

"Don't be like that", I insist. I can't believe he's such a baby sometimes.

"Be like what?" He asks bitterly.

"Like such bratty baby. I visit you practically every day, and you still complain, Scorpius. What do you want from me?" I say.

"I just want to be with you, Rose", he says frustrated. "I just want you by my side, always. Merlin, Woman, is that too much to ask for?" He finishes, leaving me quite amused.

"Scorpius", I said chuckling slightly.

"Why are you laughing?" He demanded before muttering, "Not trying to be funny here".

"I don't know, it's...it's kind of...cute, to be honest", I said controlling my slight laughter.

Scorpius grunted, not happily though, I could tell that much. I never thought I would be calling Scorpius, of all people, _cute_. I mean, Donny's cute, in an adorable sort of way, Ben's cute as in the fun-loving way, and Lance is cute since he's so sensitive, even for an athlete (Al made me swear never to tell anyone he shed a tear or two in _A Walk to Remember _or the Slytherin Quidditch team won't let him hear the end of it), but Scorpius? Scorpius was...definitely anything but cute. I mean, I don't know, at first I used to be so scared of him since he's definitely got a temper. Scorpius is also really uptight, unfriendly, and full of rage, and from experience, I know he can be a bit violent as well. I sigh; I guess there are moments when you see someone in a different light. Maybe this is one of them.

"Scorpius, believe me, I love being around you, but I've really got to see my family today", I say trying to sound as gentle as I can.

"It's fine go ahead", he says disappointed.

"I can't wait to be with you again", I say to him hoping to lift his mood. It's not very healthy for a person to be constantly gloomy all the time.

"Um, I hope you, um have fun at your aunt and uncle's place", he said trying to be polite.

I chuckle and we say our goodbyes, but I swear I heard him sigh before hanging up.

I start to get dressed to go to the Potter's tonight. I'm thinking of just wearing a strapless floral romper with lots of colours and a plain white cardigan on top. I don't bother much with my long wavy hair and decide to just make a loose braid, since all this hair in this heat is bothering me. I try to put my bangs into my braid, but fail, and after a few tries, I give up. Although, I love my stylish bangs that I got right after school ended, sometimes they can be annoying. So I just put them behind my ear, when I suddenly stop. I remember the way Scorpius did that to my hair at the coffee shop, when I was frightened to death by his behaviour. He put them behind my ear and started whispering his apologies in my ear, although I can't clearly remember what he said now, I can still feel his touch and his hot breath and it makes me shudder sometimes. I sigh and shrug the memory away and resume to my hair. I don't think I've ever been thankful enough that I didn't get my Mum's bushy hair. Although she does things to it now to make it into tamed curls, I've seen pictures of when she was my age, and it looked like a nest! I don't put on much makeup either today, since it's just my cousins James, Al, and Lily. Heck, they've seen me when I've gotten out of bed, so it's fine. Mum's glad that I'm not as obsessed with dressing up anymore. She used to scold me all the time when I wouldn't leave the house without makeup, even to take out the trash, but I guess at fourteen, most girls are like that, and now I've grown out of it. I heard Mum and Dad talking the other day about how much more mature and sensible I'm becoming. I have no idea where they got that from, but Mum thinks it's because I spent time volunteering at SCSY, and it has made me wiser. Scorpius knows now, that's I've quit SCSY. He actually took it much better than I expected..._too_ much better, I think. He didn't say anything, he just continued with his frown. And for Scorpius, just a frown means he's in a happy mood, or he doesn't care. I've learned that recently, but I've still got to turn him into a happier person, and I don't think I'll rest until I do. I think he's happy about me quitting though, since he hated it too. But I promised him that our friendship hadn't ended, so it doesn't matter either way.

"I'm ready to go", I announce as I make my way downstairs. I hear voices coming from the kitchen and I think someone's crying. It's a female voice and it's definitely not my Mum.

"Hello, Mrs. Robertson", I say to our next door neighbour, who I see is the one with the wet eyes.

"Hello, Dear", She says as she wipes her eyes. Mrs. Robertson and my Mum are sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, and there are two gift bags and some fruit cake on the table.

"Rose, remember I told you the Robertsons are moving", Mum says to me, and I now realize why Nora Robertson is crying. We've been neighbours with them for as long as I could remember. They're very close to our family, and they are one of the only people who know that we're wizards. Nora and her husband, Dave have three kids, a son who's Hugo's age, and two daughters who are eight years and six years old. Of course their children don't know our secret, but Nora and her husband do. Mum says Nora's like a sister to her. I remember spending a lot of time at their house in the past since I used to babysit her girls.

"I'm really going to miss you, Hermione", Nora says as he eyes begin to tear up again. "After all these years, we're finally separating".

"Oh, Nora, we'll still see each other. There is no way I can go on without chatting with you on the phone for at least an hour every night", Mum says and she and Nora both chuckle lightly.

"I remember you helped me out a lot throughout the years. One wave of your wand, and I'd be relaxing for the rest of the day", she laughed. I smiled at them as I took a seat across from my Mum and grabbed a cookie off the plate.

"So do you know who'll be moving in your house, then?" I ask casually.

"Oh, yes. A middle aged man, I think, with his son and his nephew I think", she says trying to remember. "Dave was talking to him a few days ago, they're Italian Americans. Moved here from New York or New Jersey. Can't really remember", she says.

"A man with his son and nephew?" I ask a bit surprised, that's an unusual family.

"Yes", Nora agreed, knowing what I'm thinking. "Alberto Martinez is a very wealthy businessman in America but he came here for a few years for his boys' education. I think he wants them to go to a university here or something".

"That's very wise and selfless of him, I guess", Mum says, taking a sip of her tea. "Leaving his business and his life behind to come here for his son and his nephew's education".

"Yes", Nora agrees, "He's bought a house for the two boys, even though they're only eighteen and seventeen".

"Wow!" Mum gasps lightly. I think that's just stupid. Who the hell buys a house for two teenagers? Did she just say they're eighteen and seventeen...hmm...and they're rich Italian boys...yummy! I can't wait to tell my girls about this! They'll probably spend the rest of the summer here!

"Yes, but he says him and his brother are going to take turns staying with them. He's here for the next four months while his brother's in America taking care of their family business. So when his brother comes here to stay with the boys, he'll go and take care of the business", she tells us.

"Now that's a very different case", I say. I want to reach for another cookie but Mum gives me a look so I don't. My Mum's very health conscious, and my grandparents being dentists, she doesn't let us eat much snacks either since they're bad for our body and teeth.

"I guess I could get Hugo to bake something and we could take it over", Mum says to me. "Like a welcome-to-the-neighbourhood gift".

"I guess so", I shrug.

"They're settling in tonight", Nora tells us. "So you could take something tonight or even tomorrow morning".

"Yeah", Mum replies nodding in agreement.

I sit there as Mum and Mrs. Robertson start talking about other things like gardening and the forty year old woman a few houses down from us who got a facelift or something. It eventually gets boring so I get up and go back upstairs to my room and call Emma and Priya and tell her about my new neighbours. Of course both we're already dreaming about the boys, making up their own theories about what they might look like. I also debate whether I should call Bonnie. I decide to call her but just to check up on her, I decide not to tell her about the new neighbours since it would be insensitive in case she's upset about breaking up with Louis. However, she didn't receive the call so I guess I'll just call again later tonight

...

"Of all people, Sofia Towler, James?" I asked him shaking my head in disappointment as James, Al and I sat in the basement reminiscing about the party and discussing all the juicy goodness that has come out of it.

"Come on, have you seen that body, Rose! Trust me, if you were a lesbian, you'd wanna too", James defended himself. Now why my cousin thought to say that was beyond me.

"Gee, it's too bad I'm attracted to men, then", I said rolling my eyes, making Al laugh.

"And how about you young man", I turn to Al "You've got yourself a girlfriend, now!"

"Yup!" Al said smiling wide.

"Awww! That's so cute" I said pinching his cheek. He pushed my hand away and James chuckled.

"You should've seen, Nick, he looked like he was going to hurl when he found out", I said remembering Nick Longbottom. Poor boy, he probably stayed up all night thinking of Al's tongue down her throat.

"So, Rose", James turned to me, "What was up with you and Eric at the party?" How does he know! Wasn't he supposed to be groping Sofia in a closet somewhere or something?

"Nothing, was up, James, what are you talking about", I ask kind of blushing. But I'm kind of pissed that people partied less and stalked me more.

"Well, someone said he was being all", James cringed, "_touchy_ with you".

"Who said?" I demanding. Who is this someone? I swear if I find this person, I'm sticking my wand somewhere where the sun doesn't shine!

"People talk all the time, Rose. Why are you getting all defensive?" James cocked an eyebrow at me curiously.

"I'm not", I muttered. Great now, he probably thinks I have a massive crush on his best friend and I'm too afraid to admit it. Okay, Okay, I know it's the truth, but I didn't want my whole family finding out.

"So, when are the OWL's results arriving?" Al asked me quickly changing the subject. I just got to love that kid, he always know what to do in situations like these.

"Mum said they're coming on Friday", I informed him.

"How does your Mum know?" He asked genuinely curious.

"I don't know", My Mum seems to know most things and usually I just take her word for it.

"Of, course Aunt Hermione would know, she probably has connections with the examiners or something. Being a genius and all", James rolled his eyes. Al and I chuckled.

After a while, James went upstairs to do something, I don't know what, though, but I was finally alone with Al, and I could talk to him openly.

"I don't know how I feel about him", I sigh once I've told Al all about the party and everything that happened between me and Eric.

"Understandable", he says. "He's not usually like that, though. I'm sure it was just because he was drunk".

"I guess I kind of freaked out a little, since it was going way too fast for me", I reply.

"You'll probably be seeing him, on Saturday though, at the carnival", Al reminded me; "I'll bet you a hundred galleons he'll be hanging out with you and following you", Al laughed.

I blushed again and shrugged, "Who knows". "Hey, Al, I want to ask you something", I say after some silence. I've been thinking about this for the past couple days and I really think this would be good for Scorpius.

"Sure", Al says curiously.

"Remember how I told you Scorpius was in a car accident", I say to him in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, I remember", Al replies, "How's he doing by the way?"

"He's recovering", I respond. I sigh and take a deep breath, "I want you to come with me to visit him".

Al raises his eyebrows at me, "You want _me_ to visit him?"

"You don't have to go alone, we'll go together", I quickly say.

"I don't know, Rose", he says unsure, "It'll be awkward".

"No, it won't!" I insist, "I'll be there too, Al. I really think it would be good for him to have you back in his life".

Al sighs, "Rose, there's a lot that has happened between us. I don't know if he'll want me there". Should I ask him to tell me what happened between them? No, I'll ask Scorpius, I want Scorpius to tell me. It's kind of weird but I feel like it'll help us become much closer. I mean, sure we see each other a lot and we're really good friends but Scorpius never seems to tell me about his life or his past. I make a mental note to bring it up some time soon.

"But, Al, maybe you guys could put those things behind you and just move on", I suggested. I really hope I can convince him. I mean, come on they're both sixteen, I'm sure they can be mature about it. And as for Scorpius, I don't know, I'll just threaten to jump in a lake or something...okay maybe not! He'll probably have a heart attack if I even mention that, but I'll convince him. I know he'll listen to me.

"But you know Scorpius by now, he's kind of...extreme", I cock an eyebrow at his choice of word, but then I nod in agreement because Scorpius is very passionate and irrational, almost crazy.

"Don't worry about Scorpius, leave him to me", I say confidently.

Al sighs, "If it means that much to you". He smiles lightly. I jump on him to hug him.

"Thanks a lot!" I say as I sit back down on my seat, "I know it'll be awkward and stuff, but I really want him to reconnect with people. Do you know he doesn't get a lot of visitors? His grandmother and I are the only ones", I tell Al, "Not even his parents".

"I'm not surprised", Al replies. I look at him questioningly. "His Dad and His Grandfather aren't very nice to him".

"What do you mean", I ask. Not nice to him? Well I sort of guessed that much.

"I think they were very strict and abusive", Al says. "I don't know if they still are since he's almost a grown man himself now, but they used to beat him for the slightest mistakes as a child".

I stare at Al. Beat him? What the fuck! I never knew Scorpius was beaten as a child! That's horrible. You can't hit kids! It's just evil! And Scorpius was never a bad boy; he used to be a fun, and cheerful child, with manners and respect and everything. His grades at school were fine...Although after Christmas of third year, I don't know what happened but before that, Scorpius was a perfectly fine boy. "Why did they beat him?" I ask in a small voice. I can just imagine the wounds on his body. Now that I think of it, the other day, when I was at the hospital, I remember Scorpius was sitting on his bed shirtless and he was doing something on his laptop computer. I was kind of busy staring at his toned body to notice anything else (hey, I'm a teenage girl, I can't help it!), but now that I recall, I did see some scars and bruises that seemed to be left over from old wounds. "That's horrible! That's not fair! You can't hit someone! That's inhuman!" I say angrily.

"I know. And it kind of had an effect on him too", Al said a bit nervously, "You should be careful, Rose, he loses his temper very quickly, and he can be a little physical sometimes". He's warning me? I have firsthand experience of how violent Scorpius can be! I look away hoping Al can't read my face because if he found out Scorpius had slammed me to the wall, he'd go berserk! And my parents would find out and knowing my dad, he'd alert the ministry and gather an army!

"What do you mean he can be a little physical at times?" I ask pretending to play dumb and also curious about what Al might know. They're in the same common room and dormitory and had almost all their classes together. I'm sure Al's seen more of him than other people have.

"Well, I mean, I don't want you to worry and be scared and stuff", he says unsure whether he should tell me. I think I can handle it though! I'm not a child!

"Just say it, Albus", I say annoyed.

"Okay, he's gone a little crazy before. He's had physical fights with guys like Casey Warrington and Frankie Dunn and even Nina Flint's little brother, that tall, tough looking guy who's a year below us".

"Did, they beat each other and stuff?" I ask kind of shocked. I hope Al says it was nothing and just a quarrel. But I know he's not going to so I hold my breath prepared to hear the worst.

"Yeah, he got really violent. There was this one time back when we were in fourth year, Scorpius was on our quidditch team and we were practicing early morning, before dawn, and Scorpius got into an argument with Casey, back when he wasn't captain, and soon, they started yelling and swearing at each other and we don't know what exactly Casey said at that very moment but Scorpius just grabbed the club out of Lance's hand and started beating Casey with it, and Cynthia Urquhart and Kylie Montaque had to run inside to go get Professor Bole, and Headmistress McGonagall and Professor Longbottom".

I stare at Al with my mouth hanging open. Beating someone with a Beater's Club! You could break someone's skull with that! I knew Scorpius was a little violent, but risking someone's life like that! I mean, Ben has let me hold his club before and that thing is heavy! No! I refuse to believe Scorpius could hurt someone like that! He just can't! "Was, Warrington badly injured?" I asked hoping Al would say he only got minor injuries.

"Yeah! He was covered in blood! It was weeks before he was out of the hospital wing!" Al says shaking his head. "And Scorpius was suspended from Hogwarts for two weeks and banned from ever playing Quidditch in school again. That's when we got Norman Flint to replace him. He's not even allowed near the pitch anymore, even to watch". Someone get me a paper bag, I think I'm gonna hurl!

"I can't believe it", I say quietly still in shock, I don't want to believe it! "Scorpius did that? No!" Al puts an arm around me to comfort me since I'm in shock and talking to myself. "But Scorpius is so different!" I insist.

"I'm sorry it bothers you, Rose", Al sighs, "but it's the truth".

"But...Scorpius?" I ask again to make sure. Maybe I'm hearing wrong. Maybe he said 'Smorphius'...but there's no one called 'Smorphius'! "That's not _my_ Scorpius".

Al cock's an eyebrow at me. "_Your_ Scorpius? I never knew you had a _claim_ to him". He says quietly.

I turn my head away. That had just slipped out, I swear! Of course I don't have any rights over Scorpius, and he's definitely not _mine_.

"Slipped out", I mutter slowly a bit embarrassed.

"Maybe he's changed", Al says trying to be positive. "From what you tell me, he seems nicer".

"He is", I quickly say. I get this feeling that I'm trying to convince myself. Even though I shouldn't be. The Scorpius I know isn't like that. He has more control over his anger, I mean, that other day when I was pinned against the wall by him, he could've smacked me in the face or something or tried to strangle me...but he didn't. His anger was short lived, wasn't it? And didn't he start caressing my arm and my hand so tenderly? And didn't he whisper gentle apologies in my ear? Yes, Scorpius can be gentle. He's grown up now, I'm sure he wouldn't do that now. Everybody has a past, but the past doesn't matter, does it...Oh dear, Merlin, my stomach feels awfully heavy.

"He really means a lot to you, doesn't he?" Al asks noticing the nauseas expression on my face.

"Yeah, I guess he does", I say looking into empty space. I have no idea why, but Al seems to be right. Now that I think about it, I don't know why, but I think I've just gotten so used to Scorpius calling me all the time to tell me how wonderful I am and how much he misses me. I don't think anyone's ever _yearned_ so much for my presence the way he does. Scorpius is...different, but good different.

**A/N: So based on what you've read so far about Rose, who do you think she's taken after in her family. We know she get's the colour of her hair from her Mum since it's more brown than red and she get's her eyes from Uncle Bill, but personality wise, who dod you think she's like. Ron or Hermione? Or if not her parents, her grandparents? Or how about her Weasley Uncles or even Ginny? Lol I just thought it would be interesting to see what you guys would think. I'll let you know my opinion in the next chapter. Anyways please leave a review and maybe i'll post another one up really quickly!**


	17. Visiting Him or Visiting the Devil

**A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been a while sincce i last updated but i've just been procrastinating. I don't know why usuaullly i don't. So anyways, in regards to my question in the previous chapter, i think Rose is a lot like Hermione in a way that she's mature, smart and sensible. She's also really compassionate and caring as well. The way she cares about Scorpius sort of reminds me of how Hermione always cared about Harry even though for different reasons, and like her Mum, rose tries to do the right thing. Rose is also sort of like Ron in a way that she can sometimes be a bit insecure but she's also got a bit of a temper like him and she also lacks confidence in herself sometimes like Ron used to. Rose definitly has a bit of Ginny in her. She's not a sweet innocent little girl, she's feirce and strong like Ginny and she sort of has her flare as well. So yeah, that's basically my opinion. Anyways, I also realized now that Crabbe died in the seventh book in the room of requirement so we'll assume that Veronica Crabbe (mentioned in an earlier chapter) is most likely a distant cousin or relative.**

I've always wondered what's going on inside my parents' brain. What they are thinking or how they communicate with each other. I mean, it's like my Mum and Dad have this sort of telepathic connection that they know what each other is thinking. It's like they could be arguing, or planning for something or just having a nice conversation with their minds. Hell, they could run a country by telepathic communication! So, it's been a while since my incident with Scorpius. Remember the one where I hyperventilated in Jake's arms, yeah that one. I thought my parents would've forgotten it by now but apparently, nothing gets by them. So I woke up this morning (yes, I wake up in the _morning_), and went downstairs to have breakfast with my family. Lately I've been feeling a lot of warmth towards them. I don't know why but I like giving them occasional hugs and kisses to tell them how much I love them. Mum's delighted of course, but Dad and Hugo...they're just scared. I guess hearing about Scorpius's family, or rather lack of, just made me realize how thankful I should be. So anyways, I was washing a chocolate chip waffle down with a glass of milk when Dad and Mum decided to stare at me.

"What?" I said looking at them as I lick my milk moustache.

"Rose, we have to talk", Mum began. I just stared at them. Was I in trouble? Did they uncover any of my many secrets? I got a feeling that I wasn't going to like this. "Remember that Sunday when you hyperventilated and you were in the E. R?"

"Uh huh", I say placing my empty glass on the table in front of me.

"Sweetheart, we feel that it's time that you talk to us about it", Mum says.

"Talk about what?" I ask dumbly.

Dad clicked his tongue, annoyed. "Why you hyperventilated! What else?" He said impatiently.

"Oh, thaaat", I chuckled lightly. "Oh, I don't know, guess it must have been the heat or something", I shrug trying to show me passing out was no big deal.

But Mum and Dad, well, they didn't think so. "Rose, if there is something that's bothering you..." Mum began. "If you feel upset about something, or you're stressed, we'd like to know".

"Huh?" I say, trying my best to look like an idiot. "What are you talking about? There's nothing bothering me".

"Rose, Jake said you were crying and you were really upset", Dad insisted. That darn Jake has to tell my parents all the details!

I sigh and lie, "I don't know, I don't even remember why I was upset". Oh wait...Scorpius! Oh yeah, I had a mental breakdown because Scorpius locked me in a storage room and practically suffocated me while screaming in my face...I can't tell them that!

"Rose, this is serious! You've got a perfectly functioning brain! How could you not remember?" Dad said impatiently again, earning a stern look from Mum, who obviously is telling him to calm himself.

"Rose, that Sunday, you had a meeting with your SCSY buddy, didn't you? How did you end up in the mall, was it something to do with the boy?" Mum asks.

I try to hold back my alarmed face. How could she just know? That's impossible! How did she think to bring up my SCSY meeting? "Mum, I told you the meeting ended early so I decided to go to the mall".

"That's very irresponsible of you, Rose. You didn't even call to inform us you were going to the mall", Dad said to me.

"Sorry", I mumble and look down.

"Rose, you're ignoring my question?" Mum interjected calmly. "Does this have anything to do with your buddy? I mean, it all happened right after the meeting?"

I sigh, "Mum, what could that boy possibly have anything to do with this?" I ask her even though _that_ _boy_ has everything to do with everything.

"I don't know. Did he upset you or did he say something that upset you?" Mum asks.

"No!" I say bewildered, or at least, I tried to look bewildered. "That boy didn't do anything. I went to meet him and all we did was talk. He asked me what school I go to and how many brothers and sisters I have and what my hobbies are. That's it. And then he had to go somewhere so he left early", I roll my eyes and lie.

"Why did you want to end your SCSY sessions, then?" She interrogates.

"I don't know, it's boring", I shrug. "I have better things to do with my summer". Mum sighs and I don't know if she bought my story. But I don't wait for her to say anything. I get up and put my dishes in the sink and leave the kitchen. Mum and Dad watch me carefully as I leave the room. I can hear them talk in hushed tones once I'm gone.

"That day she said she wanted to end her sessions because she had a lot on her mind", Dad remembered.

"I think something is definitely the matter", Mum agrees.

I sigh and just go upstairs to get dressed. I don' understand why they can't just leave it alone. I'm perfectly normal now. I don't understand their need to bring it up. I'm just afraid they'll try to dig into things and they'll eventually find out. I don't know what I'm afraid of though. I mean if they find out, what'll they do? They'll probably get really mad at me for keeping them in the dark, and then they might try and meddle in Scorpius's business, or maybe they'll prevent me from seeing Scorpius again. No, I can't take the risk of not seeing Scorpius again. Scorpius really needs me, and to be honest, I love being in his company as well. He makes me so happy. I know it's kind of cheesy but that's how I feel. I'm so excited for Al to come visit Scorpius with me today. I really hope they can work things out and become friends again. Al is one of the nicest people I know and I think Scorpius can really benefit from having a friend like Al in his life. Plus, they share dormitories, and they'll be together again when we go back in September.

I look at the time, it's almost ten and I'm still not dressed yet. I told Mum I'm going out with Al and a few of our friends for the day, and she was fine with it. She was busy trying to find her phonebook so she didn't think to ask me where I was going. I just hope she doesn't remember before I leave or else she'll start interrogating. Hugo was spending the day at his friend Colin's house. Dad had work today, and Mum had to go to the Ministry and run some errands today, so it'll be pretty easy getting in and out of the house unnoticed today. Once I get out of my shower, I text Al to ask what time he's picking me up. Al's getting James to drive us to the shopping centre near the hospital and then we're going to walk to the hospital from there. James is like a radio, he's got a mouth that he doesn't always keep a lock on so telling him would be like announcing it on national T.V. Plus if we asked him to drop us at the hospital, his questions would be endless.

I'm in such a good mood today, I search my closet for my favourite 'I heart Scorpius' shirt...Just kidding! Imagine that! But I am truly in a very good mood so I decide to wear a strapless white sundress with colourful little flower pattern. It's got a lavender bow that ties beneath the bust. It's one of my current favourites because I like the way it makes me look, it's really narrow at the top and the skirt flows out. I remember last June, I wore this one day and so many people complimented it. I was sitting near the lake having lunch with Emma and Amanda after our Potions OWL, and Missy Jones was sitting with her Slytherin friends under a tree near ours. They got up to leave since their class was about to start and they were walking by us when Missy stopped to ask me about my dress.

"_You're James and Fred's cousin right? Oh my gosh, I love your dress", she said excitedly. She turned to her friend, "Nina isn't her dress so pretty"._

"_Mm hmm, it's very sexy", Nina agreed smiling._

"_Thanks", I blushed trying to hold back my own smile._

"_I actually bought something similar but it made my hips look so wide", Missy's other friend said. "It looks perfect on you"._

"_Thanks", I said again._

After that, they talked to Amanda for a bit and then left. Ever since, this has become my favourite dress. Not because the most popular girl in school complimented it, but because I don't have to worry about how I look in it. I feel confident in this, and I really need confidence today, when I go see Scorpius with Al. Who knows how he might react. So I get my sandals and make my way downstairs to wait for Al.

"Where are you going?" Hugo, who's tying his shoe laces, asks when he sees me all ready.

"Going out with my friends", I lie casually.

"Oh", he says and resumes to his other shoe.

"Hugo, hurry up", Mum says coming towards us from the kitchen with her car keys and purse. "I have to drop you off and then I have to go to the Ministry as well".

"Okay, I just have to put my broomstick in the trunk", Hugo replies going to the garage.

"Make sure you lock the door before you leave", Mum says turning to me. She gives me a quick kiss on the head before leaving through the front door. I make my way to the T.V. lounge and I was about to turn on the T.V. when my phone starts ringing.

"Hello", I say.

"Rose!" Emma exclaims.

"Emma, hi", I say as I take a seat on the couch.

"Did you hear? He's going out with that _child_!" She says annoyed.

Okay, I'm confused. "Wait, what? Who's going out with a child? What are you _saying_?" I wonder what sort of pedophiliac thing she's talking about.

"Albus! Who else? He's going out with Longbottom's sister! Isn't she like a _kid?_" Oh! Jealousy. I get what this is about. I knew I would have to hear this sooner or later. It was definitely coming. It's a bit later than I expected though.

"Emma, she's not a child, she's just a year or something younger", I say gently. "And if they're boyfriend and girlfriend, then we can't really do anything about it".

Emma clicks her tongue, annoyed. "But, she looks like she's thirteen years old! Even I've got bigger boobs than her and I'm a string bean. What did he ever see in her?" I snort and laugh at Emma's comment. But to be honest, Emma really isn't any more developed than Arielle (who's perfectly fine if you ask me) if not less, but that's probably because she's really skinny. Of course I don't tell her that or she'd get really mad and accuse me of not supporting her, and failing in my duties as a best friend.

"Em, I'm sorry, I know you like him and all, but he's not the last boy on earth", I say. "And come on, I'm sure Al didn't take her mammary growth into consideration before asking her out", I snigger.

"Rose!" she whines. "You're not taking me seriously!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry", I say a bit more seriously to show that I am being sensitive towards her feelings.

"Rose, it's not fair. He's supposed to be _my_ boyfriend!" She whines again.

"Em", I sigh. "You'll get over him. Just forget about it. Maybe you and him aren't meant to be. I'm sure there's someone better out there for you".

"But, I can't get over him, he's what I want!" She whined again like a baby.

I sigh again, "You said the same thing about Jared Stebbins and Aaron Goldstein didn't you, but you got over them, didn't you?" Yes, Emma has had quite the share of crushes. She doesn't seem like it but she's probably the most boy obsessed in out group. She dreams about finding true love and all that sort of rubbish. She used to tell us about it but we just made fun of her so now she just keeps her thoughts about these things to herself. I kind of feel bad though, for making fun of her.

"Yeah", she sighs. "But still come on, _Arielle_ _Longbottom_. Of all the girls, he had to choose her".

"Emma, who cares? You're a very sexy girl and I know there's someone out there who's probably dreaming about you, so to hell with this!" I say. I'm trying to cheer her up about this whole Al and Arielle thing.

"Do you think I'm pretty though", She asks unsure.

"Yes! Of course you are! Trust me, Sweetie, at the carnival I promise at least one dude is gonna try and flirt with you".

Emma giggles "Do you really think so?"

"Of course!" I say cheerfully.

"Okay, I've got to go, I'm thinking of getting a manicure and a pedicure today", She tells me.

"Have fun!" I say.

"Good luck with Malfoy today", she says. I freeze, but then suddenly remember that I told her about Scorpius, not the details though but I did tell her I was taking Al with me to see him today.

"Thanks!" I say before we say goodbye and hang up. Al and James are still not here yet so I sit on the couch and turn on the television.

Surprisingly, Emma's not as upset as I thought she would be. I thought she'd be really sour and whining and negative but she got over it pretty quickly. It's probably because Al's nice and he talks to her like a friend so she's okay with being friends with him. Al should be here soon. I'm getting kind of restless since I really want to see Scorpius. I've been really impatient to see him for the past couple days. Just then, my mobile starts vibrating and I check to find a text from Al saying he's here. I quickly put on my sandals, lock the door, and dash out to my driveway.

"Hello", I say getting in the backseat of the car. I'm surprised to see James in the passenger seat and Al in the driver's seat. I wonder if this has anything to do with James' cross looking expression.

"Hi, Rose, James is helping me practice my driving", he says excitedly. I hear James mutter something but I didn't quite catch what he said. Al, who had heard, rolls his eyes at him, and I'm assuming James isn't too happy with teaching Al to drive.

"Hi, James", I say to him as All pulls out of the driveway.

"Hi", he responds casually as he turns his body a little to face me. "What's up?"

"Not much. What about you?" I reply.

"Nothing much, just teaching this idiot how to drive properly", he says looking at Al. "Keep, checking your rear view mirror".

"I know", Al groans, "you've said that five times already".

"You kids are hard to deal with", James sighs.

"Excuse me!" I laugh, "You're only a year older than us".

"Whatever!" he chuckles.

The rest of the ride was pretty eventful. James kept yelling at Al about his driving, and kept telling him off for exceeding the speed limit ("You're risking mine and Rose's life!" and "I can't believe I'm letting you drive my car!"). He sort of reminded me of Dad when Dad and I went practicing. After lots of "Damnit, James!" and "What the fuck are you doing, Albus!" we finally reach the mall. Al and I get out and wait ten minutes for James to drive away completely before we cross the street and head towards the hospital.

"So, I'm going to go in first, and tell him you're here, and then I'll call you in", I say a bit nervously. I'm just a bit nervous about Scorpius's mood today. I really hope he's not in an angry mood today or he'll just lose his temper and start yelling at the slightest thing.

"Okay, Rose", Al chuckles as we walk across the lot to the building. "Why are you so nervous? Calm down".

"I don't know", I say. "He has mood swings but I'm sure you already know that". Al snorts in agreement. "Here we are", I say walking in the cold air conditioned building. Al follows me as we make our way to the elevators.

"Has Scorpius ever...mistreated you?" Al asks randomly while we're in the elevator. I freeze. What could have possibly possessed him to ask me that? Did I look mistreated or something? Of course I didn't! How do I respond to this? I mean, Al can usually read my face pretty correctly.

"Um, what do you mean", I say looking at him. I can't turn my face away or he'll know something happened between me and Scorpius and I'm trying to hide it.

"It's just that sometimes he gets really mad at people, even his friends, and he'll just say something horrible or do something horrible. So I was just wondering...he hasn't been, you know, sort of aggressive with you has he?" Al asks concerned. I'm touched that he's concerned and worried about me but I'm at lost for what to say.

I just chuckle to end whatever tension I'm feeling. "Of course not! I mean, he's just gotten mad at me once or twice before but he didn't like do anything out of place". I feel so horrible for lying to him, but I really have no idea how he would react to the truth. He would definitely get mad about Scorpius hurting me. I don't think there is anyone I can tell the truth to because they'll get really upset and mad about it and I really don't want an obstacle in my relationship with Scorpius.

"That's good", Al says smiling. I fake a smile back at him because on the inside, I really don't feel like smiling. I sigh out of relief when we finally reach Scorpius's floor. The elevator was beginning to feel stuffy and I really didn't want to force anymore smiles to keep the mood up.

"Let's go", I say leading Al to Scorpius's room. We finally reach his room and I turn to look at Al. "You wait here for now", I say motioning for him to sit on the bench outside. Al nods and sits on the bench. He gives me thumbs up for good luck and I take a deep breath before slowly turning the knob to enter.

Scorpius is sitting up on his bed, and his eyes are intensely glued to his laptop computer. I notice the gauze is still around his forehead but the patch of red on it has lightened in colour drastically. I guess that's a relief, since it shows his wounds are healing. He's still got the cast around his arm though. I can't help but notice the fact that he's shirtless again today. I feel myself staring at his body before I think back to my conversation with Al at his house, about Scorpius getting beaten as a child, and I can't help but search for aged scars and wounds. They're not so obvious but I can see small bruises and marks. I look around and see that the other patient has been discharged since the bed is made and his things are gone.

"Scorpius", I say since he hadn't heard me coming in.

He looks up from his computer and shuts the screen down, "Rose!" He says surprised as he puts his laptop on his bedside table.

"How are you?" I ask as I walk to his bed.

"I'm better", he shrugs. "The doctor said I can leave tonight".

"Oh that's wonderful!" I say. I'm tempted to touch the bandage around his forehead, but I don't, it would be too weird.

"I guess", he shrugs again. He cocks an eyebrow at me questioningly when he notices me staring at his forehead.

"Your, um, your wound is healing", I say when I realized he's noticed my creepiness.

"Yeah", he agrees. I ignore my instincts and lift my hand to touch his gauze. I don't know why but I feel like it's comforting. For both of us. Scorpius just continues to look at me questioningly as my hand makes its way up to stroke his hair and ends up at the back of his neck. "I'm so glad you're better", I whisper.

"Me too", he says quietly, as he takes hold of my other hand, and strokes the backside with his thumb. It would've been the perfect moment if the awkwardness wasn't endless. I mean, Scorpius and I were just standing there looking at each other, holding each other. Sure it felt nice, but it was odd. There was something about that moment but I just couldn't put my finger on it. I think it's how physical we were made it sort of weird. I quickly withdrew my hand and hoped he'd let go of my other hand as well. Scorpius's touch sort of scared me. Even though it was violent and frightening that Sunday, it was much more gentle and affectionate today. And the affectionate part just made me uneasy.

"Scorpius, I have to tell you something", I said taking a deep breath as I sit on the edge of his bed.

"What?" he asks looking at me seriously.

"I brought someone with me today, to visit you", I say. Dear Merlin, I hope he remains calm and doesn't get mad at me.

"You, brought someone to visit me?" He repeats slowly.

"Yes", I say confidently.

"Who?" He asks looking slightly confused. He's probably wondering who I could have possibly brought with me to visit _him_. Scorpius didn't have many friends since he wasn't very nice or friendly or social.

"Um, Al", I say quietly looking down praying that he doesn't get mad, since he doesn't like company, well except me of course.

"Who?" He asks, since he hadn't heard me the first time.

"Albus", I say slightly louder.

"Albus?" he asks surprised. I can't really read his expression though. I'm not sure if he's pleased or angry or what. "Why'd you bring him?"

"Um, I don't know, I thought it would be nice for you two to talk, you know", I shrug. "I hope you're not angry, though", I quickly add. "I mean I was afraid you'd be mad or something..."

"No I'm not mad", Scorpius says looking at me. "Why would you think I'd get mad?" he asks surprised again.

Why wouldn't I think he'd get mad! Scorpius gets mad at almost anything and everything. "I don't know", I sigh. "Sometimes you get mad at the slightest things and to be honest, it's frightening".

"I frighten you", he asks bewildered. His face falls and he sort of looks disappointed.

"Well no, not usually. Just when you're really angry", I say quickly before he thinks he's a scary monster or something.

Scorpius sighs, "I never wanted you to be afraid of me", he says with a sad expression.

"Oh, no! I'm not!" I insist. Great! I've turned off his mood. "Scorpius Malfoy, if you really scared me, do you honestly think I would be here sitting on this bed next to you?" I smile at him. Scorpius slightly smiles back at me and takes hold of my wrist and slides his hand into mine. I stare at the way he's holding my hand. It's gentle and soft. I feel a bit uncomfortable and I want him to let go but I ignore my feelings because lately I've noticed he seems to find comfort when he's touching me or holding me or something. I think that's really weird and it really does put me in a very uncomfortable position but I'm learning to ignore that feeling.

"So where is Albus?" he says, a bit more chipper.

I beam at him, "I'll call him in!" I get up and I'm glad he's not holding my hand anymore. I'm also glad that he's not bitter towards this arrangement of mine.

I go outside to get Al who's sitting on the bench and furiously texting Arielle. He's smiling to himself as he reads her messages...kind of cute, really. I tell him about Scorpius's calm reaction and he's also relieved and he follows me inside.

"Hi, Scorpius", Al says as we walk in the room.

Scorpius frowns at him questioningly. "Hi, Al", he says slowly. Neither of them says anything for a bit and I just stare back and forth at them.

Al, however, noticed the silence in the room and decided to break it. "So, um, I'm glad you're alright, Rose told me what happened", Al says as we continue to stand there in front of him.

"Rose told you what happened?" Scorpius repeats slowly looking at me now. I nod, hoping he doesn't mind that I told Al about his accident.

"Yeah", Al said noticing Scorpius looking at me questioningly. "She was really worried about you", he adds in quickly, "And she was really upset that you were in the hospital, so she talked to me about it". I noticed he's trying to divert Scorpius's attention to the fact that I care about him.

"Oh", Scorpius says quietly.

"So how have you been Scorpius?" Al asks as he takes a seat on the chair. I move towards Scorpius's bed and sit next on the edge of it, next to him, my usual spot. It's Scorpius's favourite spot for me to sit. Whenever I sit on the chair, he always makes me get up and sit next to him. I find it a bit strange but when I asked him about it, he said he just likes me being close, next to him.

"I-I've been well", Scorpius says, looking at Al.

"And, um, everything's been fine with you?" Al asks. Scorpius raises an eyebrow at him and Al responds with an expression I can't read.

"Y-yeah" Scorpius says. I feel like they're doing the same thing as my parents. Conversing without their tongues. I glance back and forth between the two to try and understand the meaning of this but I give up.

"You know what?" I say, getting an idea. "I'm going to step outside, and I'll give you two a little time to talk". Maybe they could sort things out, bond again, catch up on each other's lives or something, I don't know. However, I do know that they'll probably be able to talk more freely without me there. Scorpius and Al both nod at me in agreement and I get up to sit outside for a bit.

I take a seat on the bench Al was sitting on just a little while ago and take out my mobile. I should probably try to call Bonnie again. Thankfully this time, she picks up.

"Hi, Rose", she says casually before I could even say 'hello'.

"Hi, Bonnie, where have you been?" I ask her.

"Just here and there", she says. "How about you, what's up with you?"

"Not much", I shrug, "just the usual. I haven't talked to you since the evening of the party..."

"Please don't remind me about the party!" she groans.

"Yeah, it was quite horrible, the aftermath", I shrug remembering Eric, Louis, Dominique...and Ben who perks my mood up.

"I heard", she says, concerned, "Dominique knocked you out and he gave her a black eye".

"Yeah. It was just a very horrible night for me. Dominique had the nerve to bring Josh and flaunt him in my face, as if I could care!"

"That bitch!" Bonnie gasped slightly.

"I don't really care though", I shrug. "Josh was just a silly crush. I mean I guess I was just really flattered and went over my head knowing that I was noticed by an older boy. He doesn't mean anything except being an experience for me to learn from".

"Wow, Rose", Bonnie exclaimed, "Since when did you become so smart and wise?"

I chuckled. "You should've seen her Ben though, he was totally telling her off!"

"Well, it's about time!" She laughed.

"She thought Ben and I were together, so she got really mad cause Ben used to like her, and Ben and I just played along to piss her off, it was really funny", I tell her excitedly.

"She thought Ben and you were _together_?" Bonnie repeated.

"Yeah, I know right? I wonder how she ever came up with _that_". I replied. It was true, Ben and Me. No way! We're just great friends but definitely not what Dominique was thinking. I do wonder why she'd think that. Probably since we went to the party together.

"Yeah, wherever could she get such a crazy idea from?" Bonnie agreed...Wait! I'm not sure but I think I may have heard sarcasm there.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask curiously.

Bonnie just chuckles, "Nothing, Rose, Nothing? So was Louis really upset?"

"No! He was just dandy...Of course he was upset!" I say in disbelief that she had to ask that. How could she even feel the need to ask if Louis was upset or not? I mean, last time I checked, finding out your girlfriend pursued you to win a bet and had no real feelings for you isn't a very good feeling. But I think she mentioned before that she actually liked him or something now. And what's with 'nothing, Rose, nothing'?

"I feel really bad", she sighs.

"Why don't you apologize? Tell him if you seriously like him", I suggest.

"I did call to apologize and I do like him, he's a nice guy and all, but I don't think I really want to be in a relationship right now", she says again.

"Oh, well that really turns the situation around", I say. Bonnie chuckles lightly in agreement.

"So what was the meaning of your sarcasm just now", I ask diverting the conversation back.

"What? Nothing, Rose", She laughs.

"Can you seriously tell me what you meant with your sarcasm about me and Ben?" I ask again. I'm not going to let this go. I hope in five years, she's learned that I keep asking until I get a good detailed answer.

"I didn't mean anything", she laughs again. See that laugh is bothering me now. Why does she keep laughing

"Bonnie, I'm going to annoy you for the rest of the summer if you don't tell me!" I warn.

"Seriously, Rose, it was nothing", she insists again cheerfully.

I don't believe her! I was going to say something, but at that very moment the door of Scorpius's room opened and Al came out. Great, I was just going to get my beefy explanation. Al's expression doesn't look too angry or upset or anything. I hope it's safe to assume that they had a good chat.

"Hey, Bonnie, I've got to go now, but I will harass you with messages tonight until you spill some", I joke, making her laugh.

"Okay, we'll talk later", she responds, before we hang up.

I turn to Al who's looking at me, patiently waiting. "You can come in now", he says casually. I nod and follow him

"How'd it go?" I whisper in Al's ear.

Al shrugs, "it was normal". Okay, now what does 'normal' mean? Does he mean the mood was normal? Was the conversation normal? What's a normal conversation anyways?

When we walk in, I see that Scorpius is up and walking around the room going through his bag. I smile when I see him and he looks at me and frowns questioningly again. Probably wondering why I'm smiling since he's not familiar with such expressions.

"So, Al, are you going to the carnival on Saturday?" I ask trying to create conversation between the three of us. It was awkward because Al and I shouldn't have silence between us, Scorpius and I shouldn't have silence between us and Scorpius and Al definitely should not have any awkward silence either, yet the three of us sat there quietly with nothing to talk about.

"Carnival?" Al asks, "Oh yeah, that!" he suddenly remembers. "Yeah, I'll probably go. What time does it start?" He asks me.

"Emma said it starts at seven. And probably last as long as midnight or something, maybe past midnight", I tell him.

"Scorpius, are you going to go?" Al asks. I can tell he's trying to be casual and friendly. "You're discharged tonight".

"I don't like carnivals", Scorpius said in a flat tone. I frowned at him. I actually would've liked to see Scorpius at the carnival. I mean being in a hospital room for so long has probably got to be quite exhausting and boring. If I was him, I'd just want to get out and have some fun. But then again, this is Scorpius, he doesn't do fun.

"I want you to come with me though", I say sweetly hoping he'll listen to me. If he really cares about making me happy, then he'll listen to me...I hope.

"I don't like carnivals", he repeated in a stern tone looking at me again. I'm not sure but I think Scorpius may not be too happy with me. He seems kind of upset with me from the way he's talking to me and the way he's looking at me. It's not like he's glaring angrily but it's definitely something. I wonder if Al's noticed. I don't think he has. I watch Al catch a quick glance my way hoping to catch my eye. I look at him and he gives me a look that says he's got to go now.

"I'm meeting Arielle in Diagon Alley", he tells us as he looks down at his watch. "Rose, do you want to go now?" he asks me. I look at Scorpius. I guess I have this sort of hope in my heart that he'll ask me to stay or something, to show that he's not mad at me. But Scorpius doesn't even look up. He continues to walk around the room and pick up his things to prepare to leave tonight.

I must admit, I was a little disheartened that Scorpius did not ask me to stay or did not _order_ me to stay. Come on Scorpius; don't let Al take me away! Fight for me! Oh man...I never knew how weird I am. "Um, I think I'll stay for a bit, Al", I say to him. "You go ahead. Don't keep her waiting", I wink at him. Al chuckles before saying goodbye to Scorpius and me and heading out the door. I actually knew he had to meet with Arielle today, so I don't think he left to escape the awkwardness. Once Al's gone, I sigh and sit on Scorpius's bed and watch him pack his things. He doesn't look up and glance at me. He just continues to do his own thing and I'm left wondering if he even noticed I'm still here. Of course he has! It's impossible not to! He's ignoring me...Now I really think I've done something that bothered him or offended him. "Scorpius, are you mad at me", I ask in a fairly small voice. Scorpius stops what he's doing and turns to face me before resuming to his packing. I think he wanted to say something but he held back. I get up from the bed and slowly walk towards him. "Scorpius, if you want to say something, you should. If I did something you didn't like, then you should tell me". Scorpius just looks at me again.

"What exactly did you tell Albus?" he asks seriously. What does he mean...?

"Huh?" I say a bit confused. What did I tell Albus? "What do you mean?" I ask.

"I meant what I said", he says in an annoyed tone. "Al said you told him things about me. What did you tell him, Rose?" I'm a bit startled now since he sounds serious. His eyebrows are furrowed and that's never a good sign.

"I-I didn't say anything wrong or bad", I say taking a step back.

"Oh?" he asks. "Did you tell him how I drove into a pole?" he asks angrily. "Oh no! You must have told him how I locked you in a storage cupboard and attacked you! Tell me, Rose, how much have you told all your little friends about me?" He mocked me in a very mean way.

I just stared at Scorpius. I can't believe how rude he is! Of course I never told anyone anything! I _lied_ to my friends and family about those things and now _he's_ accusing me of exposing him or something. This is just ridiculous and wrong! "You're being very immature, Scorpius", I say trying to remain calm. "I didn't tell anyone about those things".

"I'm sure", he says sarcastically. "But you must have told _Albus_", he mocked me.

"You know what, I'm going!" I huffed in annoyance and turned to walk away but all of a sudden, I felt Scorpius grab hold of my wrist. "Scorpius, what's wrong with you?" I say, startled as I try to squirm my wrist out of his tight grip. "Let go of me".

"Maybe you could write about me or something! Write a novel and give it to all your friends. Or publish and article and tell the whole world about me!" He said through gritted teeth. I whimpered because I could feel the pain of a charm from my bracelet digging into my skin.

"Scorpius I only told him that you had an accident, nothing else", I insist frightened and on the verge of panic. "Ouch, Scorpius, you're hurting my wrist!" I continue to struggle with my hand.

Scorpius doesn't say anything. He ignores my struggle and continues to glare at me. I'm frightened and my wrist really hurts! One of my charms from my bracelet has a somewhat sharper edge and it's digging into my skin on my wrist just above my palm. I continue to tell him to let go of me and finally, Scorpius takes a deep breath. "Don't _ever_ go around telling people about me", he says dangerously, piercing through me with that glare. "Ever!" His angry expressions calms slightly and his grip on my wrist loosens. I yank my hand back and he turns away.

"I only told Al that you were hurt and I was worried for you. Nothing else!" Scorpius freezes but he doesn't turn to look at me and he doesn't say anything. He just huffs and goes to his bed. I can't even explain how angry I am right now! The nerve! To yell at me! To order me! When all I do is try to help him! I didn't say anything to Al that could upset Scorpius. I just told him in general that Scorpius is in the hospital and I'm worried about him. Merlin, I worry about this kid and all he does is fight with me. I look down at my hand. There are red marks on my wrist and I see a thin line of blood trailing from the inside of my wrist down to my palm, where the bracelet cut me. "Ouch", I say softly as I step away from him.

Scorpius who had turned away turns to look at me now. He frowns, "You're bleeding", he says quietly. I glance at him but I don't say anything to him. I don't want to talk to him. Scorpius moves closer to me and takes hold of my arm again to look at my cut. "I'm so sorry", he whispers as he pulls me into the washroom. I continue my silence and just follow him. I watch Scorpius as he carefully and gently cleans up blood and dabs a cotton swab on my cut.

"Ouch!" I gasp and jerk my hand away because it stings.

Scorpius looks at me now for a couple seconds. "It's okay. It'll only hurt for a few seconds", he says gently holding his hand out, "give me your hand, Rose. Trust me". I look at him again and slowly give him my hand and he finishes the wiping. "I'm so sorry, Rose. I just-I just got so mad", he says almost whispering. "Come on, I have bandages". He leads me back into my room still holding my hand and motions for me to sit. I take a seat on the edge of his bed and he rummages through a drawer looking for a bandage. He finally finds a small one that's a perfect size for my cut. "There", he says once he's finished applying the bandage on me. He looks at me again and sighs but I turn my face away to show that I'm still mad at him. He takes hold of my hands but I don't pull them away. "Rose, I was mad. I didn't think—"

"See, that's your problem", I finally blurt, "You _never_ _think_".

Scorpius sighs again, "I know. Rose I didn't mean to hurt you; it's just that sometimes when I get really angry, it just happens".

"But it's not fair. I've never done anything to offend you or upset you, yet sometimes, you're horrible to me", I say angrily.

"I know", He sighs again as he takes a seat next to me.

"You know sometimes, I just want to walk away from you", I tell him. "I just want to leave and never see your face again and end everything!"

"Rose, you wouldn't do that!" Scorpius says startled. I look away because I really don't know if I meant it. It was true though, sometimes I really did want to walk away but I knew I would hurt him if I did that, besides, I don't know why but I myself don't want to walk away from him. "Rose, you're perfect is every way", Scorpius says suddenly placing his hands on my arms, as if him holding me is going to keep me here or something. "And I really need you to be just a little more tolerant of me", he pleaded.

I sighed, "But Scorp—"

Suddenly, Scorpius jumped off the bed where he was "Rose, if you ever leave, I'm going to lose my mind!" He said worried. Oh God! Is he going to start panicking?

"Scorpius!" I say pulling him to sit back down. "I don't want to end things between us but sometimes, I feel like you're leaving me no choice". Scorpius looks at me.

"I'm sorry. I really don't know what happens to me sometimes", he says looking down.

"I know", I say putting my hand around the back of his neck. I'm putting my hands around him? Geez why can't we just stay in our own personal bubbles?

Scorpius sighs sadly and looks down, "Rose, you're so perfect in every way and I'm so—"

"Sh", I shush him by pulling him into a hug. Scorpius slowly and hesitatingly puts his arms around my waist and sighs.

He takes a deep breath, like he wants to say something, "You have no idea how much I—". He suddenly stopped mid sentence but I didn't bother to look at him or ask him what he was going to say because it didn't matter. "I'll come with you to the carnival, if you want me to", he whispers.

I smile. "Of course I want you to", I mumble happily.

...

For the rest of the afternoon, Scorpius and I just talked. Correction: I just talked; Scorpius just...stared at me. It's true; I told him all about Bonnie and Louis and Al, Arielle and Emma. And I told him about Priya and her somewhat rebellious nature. I also told him that I was excited that he'd be meeting my friends at the carnival. I mean they know who he is and stuff but they've never talked to him before so I'm excited to introduce him to them.

I was at my own house now and we had just finished dinner. I was in my room on my computer when I suddenly remembered Scorpius trying to say something earlier today. He said something about me having no idea about something but he stopped mid sentence. I wonder what he was trying to tell me...Suddenly my cell phone starts ringing and I quickly rush to receive it. Maybe it's Scorpius.

"Hello", I say happily.

"Hi, Rose, it's Eric". Eric? Why is Eric calling me?

"Hi, Eric", I say slowly, suddenly remembering everything that happened between us at his party as clear as crystal.

I hear Eric take a deep breath, "Rose, I have to say something".

**A/N: People, please review, i really need motivation or you may have to wait this long for updates. I really wanna thank some reviewers though. Cami, Roseweasley85, HPfan29 Vil89Six, and Mabby in particular because you guys have been reviewing from the beginning and i really appreciate that. I also want to thank everybody else who's reviewed so far. You guys truly push me to write more and write with my heart, so thank you for that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and i hope you stick around for more! **


	18. The Carnival part 1: The Good

**A/N: Guys this is not it! I'm going to make sure i conjure up a computer during my vacation, no matter what it takes, i'm not going to let you down! Even though it's a small possibility, if i don't happen to update during my holidays, i'm so sorry for that! In the mean time, this is quite a long chapter and i hope very much that you enjoy it. Please read and review and maybe it'll increase the determination in my heart to find a computer and update! :P**

"Hello", I say.

"Hi, Rose, it's Eric". Eric? Why is Eric calling me?

"Hi, Eric", I say slowly, suddenly remembering everything that happened between us at his party as clear as crystal.

I hear Eric take a deep breath, "Rose, I have to say something".

"um, okay", I say a bit confused. What could Eric have to say to me? I mean I had given up hope of 'Rose, I really fancy you. Wanna be my girlfriend?' a long time ago. Besides, I barely made progress at the party and he never called after so I'm assuming he either forgot about everything or he just didn't care enough. Whatever, if he has to say something, then I won't stop him. "What is it?" I asked casually, careful not to sound too excited or too dry.

"I-I just wanted t-to apologize", he said nervously. He _what_? Eric Wood called me to apologize...for what? "I was kind of being weird and douche-like at the party, wasn't I?" oh of course! How could I have been so dumb? Of course that's what he'd want to apologize for. But come on, I don't know if I'm behind on times or something, but do people actually call to apologize to other people for hitting on them in a drunken state at a teenage party? I don't know but I think it's sort of sweet of him. "Rose? Are you still there?" he asks unsure when I don't respond.

"Yeah", I quickly say, "I'm still here".

"So, um, yeah I just wanted to say I'm sorry if I was being rude or made you uncomfortable or something", He says a bit more easily.

"That's okay", I say to him.

"So, um, will I see you on Saturday? The carnival I mean", He asked.

"Definitely!" I respond cheerfully. Maybe Eric's not so bad. Maybe I was too hard on him or too quick to judge.

"So how's it going with you?" He says trying to strike up some conversation. I don't mind though...

"Everything's fine", I say in a sugary voice. I quickly fix my voice when I realize how horrible it sounds. "Yeah, um everything's fine, how about you? How have you been?"

""Um, I've been well", he says. Were both quiet for a few seconds because we're so confused as to what to say. I mean I still do like Eric, sort of, I think. I'm just so confused about my feelings for him. I was totally turned off by his behaviour at the party but I guess he was drunk and he did call to talk about it.

"So I think we should have another get together or something. It was fun that day at the Potters'", I say when I've run out of anything else. I don't know where it came from but I'm totally desperate here and I don't really want us to hang up. "Not a party", I quickly add. "Something like the one we had at James and Al's. That was fun, hanging out and all". Maybe that way I'll see him again. I mean that day at the Potter's was way better with Eric than at the party. I at least got to talk to him normally.

"Maybe you and I could hang out", Eric suggested, "Just the two of us". I don't know but is he hinting towards going on a date? I think so...but I don't want to jump to conclusions. I mean this could go in any direction, he could be saying that he wants to hang out, the two of us, as friends. I mean Ben and I often see each other without our other friends and it's not anything like that.

"Maybe", I shrug trying not to sound too excited even though I feel sort of giddy. "I hope we can talk at the carnival", I say.

"Of course!" he says cheerfully.

"Well, I've got to go now", I say to him.

"Okay. See you soon", He replies. "Bye". Eric's a nice guy, isn't he? I mean it was just that one time but if I really think about it, he's always been nice and friendly. Isn't that why I fell for him in the first place, added to his amazing smile and excellent looks? I sigh and smile to myself. Maybe changes were going to happen soon.

...

"An '_A' _in History of Magic? Young lady do you have any idea how important that class is?" Mum scolded me as she thoroughly looked over my OWL's results. It was Friday morning and we were having breakfast when my OWL's result had arrived. Mum of course was disappointed about that one Acceptable to even notice the Outstandings. I grunted in frustration.

"Mum, it wasn't my fault!" I insisted. I hate History of Magic! It's so boring and Professor Binns just drags on and on about the same subject. Besides it's hard to memorize all the dates.

"Not your fault! How irresponsible of you!" Hugo scolds me in a mocking way and sniggers. Of course he finds all this very funny. I bet he won't be laughing when he's in fifth year!

"Hugo!" Dad exclaims trying to shut him up since Mum's already panicking as it is. "Hermione, come on, that _is_ a pretty dry subject", Dad said taking my side. He smiled at me since he's always proud of me no matter what. I think he once said to me 'having grades like yours was a surreal dream for me when I was young'. Mum on the other hand thinks I should get an O in everything, or at least an E.

"Ron! Stop telling her it's okay to fail!" Mum exclaimed angrily.

"You failed?" Hugo interjected in a shocked tone.

"No! Shut up, Hugo!" I say to him annoyed. "Mum, I didn't fail!" I reminded her. In Mum's books, anything below Exceeds Expectations is a fail.

"Hermione, come on, she got an O in everything else, well except for Ancient Runes, but that's still an E. Her results are fine", Dad insists cheerfully putting an arm around her. Mum scowls but doesn't say anything. She goes on to muttering something about healers and aurors and Minister for Magic. I hope she's not thinking of me becoming Minister for Magic or something!

"Rose, why don't you go take out the trash", Dad suggested catching my eye. I quickly nodded, thankful for being able to get away for now. I quickly go outside to place the garbage at the end of the driveway for the garbage truck to pick it up. As I walk back, I hear someone call out, to me I think.

"Hey!" that someone says. I turn around to see that the voice is coming from the front porch of the house right next to ours. There's a boy who seems about my age, maybe a bit older and...He's beyond handsome! "Are you Rose?" he asks me in a very American accent. Suddenly I realize that these are the new neighbours Nora told us about. But how does he know who I am?

"Y-yeah", I say as I go to my own front porch. "How did you know?" I ask. Gosh he's so incredibly good-looking. He's tall and he's got dark hair and dark eyes and fair skin and a very nice body. He sort of reminds me of Ben, except Ben's hair isn't black, it's dark brown. And Ben's eyes are honey-brown and not that dark. Actually he sort of reminds me of a mix between Ben and Damien. His eyes and hair are like Damien's but his complexion and height is like Ben's. Nonetheless, he's very cute!

"Your mom stopped by. She was telling us about you and your lil' bro", He says. His accent is so...American! Mom? Lil' bro? I chuckle to myself because I find that a bit funny. I do remember Mum saying that she was going to visit them and take a 'welcome' gift or something. "So how old are you?" he asks. Gosh I love his accent, it sounds so southern! Well I mean I'm British so it probably just sounds like that to me.

Should I tell him I'm sixteen? I don't know...what if he's older. I don't want to tell him I'm sixteen, that sounds so teenager-like. "Um, how old do I look to you?" I flash a smile at him...Not too flirtingly, I hope.

"I unno", he shrugs, "seventeen maybe", he smiles back. Close guess, sexy boy!

I smile at him again, "Good guess. I'm seventeen". Oh crap, that slipped out! I just lied about my age! Oh crap crap crap! He'll probably just find out from my Mum that I'm sixteen. I mean, it could come up in a conversation or something. That would be beyond embarrassing! Gosh I'm so stupid sometimes. "How about you?" I ask.

"I'm seventeen too", he says.

"So you just moved to England?" I ask trying to change the subject. I'm scared if we talk about age for too long, he might figure I lied.

"Yeah!" he says. "From New York".

"Wow. That's quite the move. You must really miss your friends and family", I say.

"Yeah", he sighs. "But my Dad and my cousin are here so it won't be too bad".

"Yeah. So how come you decided to come here?" I ask. "If you don't mind me asking?" I quickly add when I realize they might have personal reasons they don't want to tell other people.

"My dad wants me to go to school here", he shrugs. I nod. "But it really sucks because I really wanted to finish my senior year of high school back home with my buddies".

"Aw", I say. "I'm sure you'll make friends here and have fun in your last year here", I assure him even though I have no idea whether that'll happen or not. He looks sociable enough though.

"Who knows", he shrugs again. "So I guess we'll probably be in the same grade and stuff and same school in September".

I laugh nervously. I can't tell him the truth. I mean how would this sound?: 'Nah, I'm a witch so I go to a secret boarding school to learn how to do magic'. Either he would freak out or he would think I'm a nutter. Plus I'd probably get into quite a bit of trouble since we're not allowed going around telling people we barely know. "I, um, I go to a boarding school up north. It's um, it's very far...in Scotland", I tell him.

"Oh", his face falls. "That sucks". I just nod and give him a small smile.

Just then I get an idea, "Hey I don't know if you know but there's a carnival at the public park tomorrow, about five minutes from here. You should come; you'll probably meet a lot of people who you might be in school with in September, since it'll be mostly people that live in our area". I feel kind of bad for him. He's probably already quite lonely without his friends and in a whole new country. Wouldn't hurt to help him out a little. "I could introduce you to some of my friends as well". I say thinking about James, Fred, Eric and Ben.

"Oh okay! I'll tell my cousin about it" He says smiling. "We've been in the house for a while; it'll be nice to get out". I nod and smile again.

"Well I've got to go now", I say, as I head towards the door.

"Wait", he quickly says. I turn to look at him. "Um, my name's Stefan, by the way. Just, um, just in case you didn't know".

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Thanks for letting me know…Stefan", I say with slight sarcasm and humour in my voice. He turns pink and I chuckle lightly before heading inside.

...

"Don't stay out too late and make sure you lock all the doors before leaving", Mum says to us while touching up her makeup a little. It's Saturday night and Hugo and I are going to the carnival and Mum and Dad are going out for dinner and then to the cinema to watch a movie with Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. Hugo and I lounge on our parent's bed as they rush to get dressed.

"Give us a call when you get there", Mum says.

"Don't walk home at night", Dad says. "Get a ride from a friend or just call us".

"Yes, Dad!" Hugo and I both roll our eyes.

We watch my parents get ready and I walk them to the door to let them out. Once they are gone, I sigh and go upstairs to my own room to change my clothes while Hugo goes to his room to do the same. Its half past six and Scorpius will be here soon to pick us up. I'm so excited for this mainly because he's coming. He called earlier this morning to complain about his arm since he's still got the cast on it. It doesn't need to hang from his neck anymore but he's still got the plaster. He was complaining that his arm was hurting again and that maybe he shouldn't go. Of course I didn't buy it! He's trying to get out of it since he never wanted to go but he's only going because of me, but now I think he regrets agreeing. He called two hours later to complain about his forehead hurting as well. The gauze around it is also gone but there still is a small bandage on the wound. I just hope he's not grumpy because that would just be no fun at all. Hugo's also coming with us but he doesn't know that we're going with Scorpius yet. I should probably tell him though. He knows one of my friends is driving us but he doesn't know its Scorpius. I told him about Scorpius when I first started SCSY but I don't think he knows I'm still friends with him.

"Hugo, hurry up!" I call out as I quickly get into a floral, mid thigh length, strapless romper. I'm debating whether I should add a cardigan or something...nah! "Shit!" I say to myself.

"What happened?" Hugo asks standing in my doorway in jeans and a t-shirt. I'm assuming he's dressed, that's good.

"I forgot to ask Mum to charm my hair", I whine.

"Why do you need to have your hair done for a carnival, Rose?" He asks a bit bewildered. "Geez! The Prince of Wales isn't going to be there!"

Why? Because Eric will be there silly! And Eric's just as good as any prince for me. Of course I won't tell him that. It's sort of awkward and a bit embarrassing. "Because I just want to Hugo. Now flat iron my back hair please", I order him.

"No!" he refuses, "I'm not _doing_ _your_ _hair_ for you".

"You used to do it all the time before", I snigger.

"No!" He says again flatly refusing.

"Come on, Hugo, get in touch with your feminine side", I tease him as I flat iron my front hair. Hugo huffs and I snigger as I watch him walk away muttering under his breath. I don't actually need his help to do my hair the muggle way but I like teasing him because he used to help me very enthusiastically before. Once I'm done with my hair, I look at my clock to check the time. I've got twenty minutes left, perfect! I can put on some make up since well, you know, Eric's going to be there and all and he's hinted out that he'd like to go on a date with me...well sort of, I'm just being positive. I grab my strappy flat sandals and a small, cross body messenger style little bag and go to Hugo's room where he's playing a video game on his computer. "Hugo, Mum gave me some pounds for us to spend there", I say taking his half out of my little bag.

"Thanks", he says stuffing it in his back pocket and shutting his computer down. "When's our ride getting here?" he asks.

"It'll be here any minute", I say as we both make our way downstairs. I should probably tell him who our ride is...Nah! I'll let him be surprised. "Oops. Forgot my mobile upstairs. Do you have yours?"

"Yeah", he says feeling his pocket to check if it's safely there.

"Okay, we can stay in touch, since we'll probably be separating", I reply as I quickly rush back upstairs to my room. I frantically search for it when I suddenly hear the doorbell ring. I hear Hugo's footsteps as he makes his way to the door to open it. Yes! Found it! I was rushing down the stairs when I suddenly stopped on one of the middle steps. Hugo had opened the door to Scorpius, gasped heavily when he saw him, let out a small yelp and slammed the door in his face.

"Scorpius Malfoy's here, Rose! Don't go outside" He says genuinely worried. I burst out laughing. Hugo's also not a huge fan of Scorpius since he also remembers how Scorpius always had that angry expression on his face. I'm sure he's aware of Scorpius's former bloodshot eyes and physical fights with people in the past. But that's the past.

"Hugo!" I say to him as I get a hold of my laughing and quickly rush to open the door to Scorpius. Scorpius is standing still and just looks very confused and startled...almost scared.

"D-did I do something?" Scorpius asks me, unsure why my little brother slammed the door in his face as soon as he opened it.

"No", I laugh again as I take his arm and pull him in the house. Hugo just stares at Scorpius who looks a bit uncomfortable. "Hugo, stop it. You're freaking him out", I chuckle silently. I notice Scorpius's sleeve of one of his hands is rolled up since he's still got the plaster. The bandage on his forehead is still there as well but it's barely visible behind his hair.

"Sorry", Hugo mumbles and turns red. Hugo thinks Scorpius is some sort of deranged and disturbed person since I did tell him a bit about Scorpius and I can tell he's trying to study Scorpius's behaviour.

"I'll, um, I'll go and wait in the car", Scorpius says slowly. I think Hugo's scared him...now that's funny!

I nod at him and he quickly leaves. I turn to Hugo, "please do not do that again. He thinks you're a weirdo! And he's not going to do anything to us, so don't worry". I roll my eyes and Hugo nods saying something about being caught by surprise and not sure if Scorpius is safe to ride with, I roll my eyes. We both put on our shoes and step outside. After I lock the door, we both make our way to Scorpius's car. He's sitting at the driver's seat with his head tilted back against the headrest. I see his chest heave, like he's sighing deeply as he stares into open space.

"Hello again!" I say in a bubbly tone as I hop in the seat next to him and Hugo sits at the back.

"Hi", Scorpius grunts quietly, not angrily though. The rest of the car ride is pretty quiet. At first I tried to spark some conversation by bringing up the carnival and the recent OWL's results but it seemed that neither Scorpius nor Hugo said much in each other's company. So after a while I just gave up and rested my head back as I watched children chase after the ice cream truck on a street we were passing by. I saw Scorpius catch glimpses my way to see what I was looking at out the window. I gave him a small smile but Scorpius being Scorpius doesn't smile back. He just looks back at the road. When we finally get there, Hugo quickly get's out of the car. I was about to get off myself when Scorpius takes my hand and gently tugs it to tell me to stay.

"I've got to go look for Colin and Lily!" Hugo says excitedly.

"Give me a call whenever you need, I'll have my phone on", I say while Scorpius and I still continue to sit in the car in the parking lot.

"Okay!" Hugo responds excitedly. "Aren't you coming?" He asks when he notices we don't get off.

"I'll be there soon. You go on", I tell him.

Hugo shrugs, "Okay. See you later", he says. I watch him through my window, running off to go find his friends. Scorpius on the other hand is...still holding my hand!

I turn look at Scorpius, "Do you want to go now", I ask as I pull my hand back. Scorpius didn't seem to mind.

"Not really", he says lazily.

"Scorpius", I say warningly as I frowned at him. "You promised", I remind him.

"Damn it", He mutters. I smirk at him.

"Stop being so gloomy all the time. I want to see you smile and be happy", I say.

Scorpius clicks his tongue, "Carnivals don't make me happy".

"Why? Are you afraid of clowns or something?" I tease him and playfully punch him on the arm.

"Is that supposed to make me laugh or something", he says casually catching my wrist.

I sigh, "Come on, Scorpius", I say as I open the door and step out.

"Fine", he grunts. "Well at least I'll have you for an entire evening, even if it isn't all to myself", he mutters. I roll my eyes and chuckle as I take his arm and we walk across the parking lot towards the carnival. "I want you to meet my friends", I say.

"Why?" He asks.

I shrug, "I dunno. I just do". We walk to the front and immediately I can tell the rush in this place. There are lights and carnival music everywhere. I see that there are rides and game stations and vendors and picnic tables filled with people of all ages. There are clowns of various heights interacting with children and people walking around with cotton candy. It seems so...alive! "Scorpius this looks so fun, come on!" I say pulling on his arm. I feel like I'm dragging him here but who cares, it's for his own good. Scorpius doesn't seem impressed or pleased he just continues looking at everything with no expression, and if I am lucky enough to catch an impression on his face, it's just a bored, lazy one or a frown. "Let's see if we can find anyone we know..."I trail off as we walk around looking for people from Hogwarts. I was still holding Scorpius's arm but as we walked around, it unconsciously slid down near his wrist and I suddenly stiffened when Scorpius slipped his hand into mine and held it. I turn to look at him but he was looking away at something else. So we began walking casually again. It was sort of weird that we were walking around holding hands. Suddenly I spotted a few girls from my year. It was Olivia and Macy with two Slytherin girls from our year, Kylie Montague and Monica Bletchley and they had just bought a cotton candy to share. We walk over to them and Macy and Olivia who are facing us wave at me. Monica and Kylie turn around and wave too. I'm glad to wave back at them since I don't have to hold Scorpius's hand if I do.

"Hi", I say to them cheerfully.

"Hi, Rose", Kylie says. "Hi, Scorpius". Scorpius mutters a 'hi' and raises his eyebrows in acknowledgement.

"Having fun?" Macy asks cheerfully.

"Not yet, just got here", I reply excitedly.

I can feel the four of them looking at me funny. I can see Monica and Kylie eye me and Scorpius. Obviously, they're looking at me and Scorpius together. Of course Monica and Kylie would be eyeing us funny; they know Scorpius well and they're probably wondering why I'm with such an angry, slightly mental and bitter person. Or they're probably wondering since when did I become friends with Scorpius Malfoy.

"So how was your OWLs result?" Monica asks me. "Perfect O's, I'm assuming", she smirks.

"Almost", I shrug.

"Oh, Rose, at least you've got mainly O's", Monica laughs. "My Mum was so mad; I got a P in History of Magic". Why am I not surprised? That girl spends more time in broom closets than classrooms.

"I hate History of Magic!" I exclaim. So I'm not the only one doing bad in that class. Well at least mine's an A.

"I think if Binns wasn't teaching it, it would be much more interesting", Olivia chimes in.

"That is so true", Kylie agrees. "He's so boring, I fall asleep". We laugh lightly at her comment and she turns to Scorpius, who's been quietly standing there with his hands in his pockets looking around this place. "How's your summer been Scorpius? I barely even see you during school anymore".

Scorpius cocks an eyebrow at her question, "summer's been okay", he says slowly, not addressing the second part.

"So have you guys seen Bonnie or Priya or Emma?" I ask them mainly because I want to go find them now.

"Yeah I saw Emma and Priya near the Ferris wheel with Amanda and Donny", Macy says.

"Oh okay. Thanks", I say to her. "Well, I'm gonna go find them so I guess I'll see you guys later. Come on, Scorpius".

"See you later", they say. I'm careful not to grab Scorpius's arm or take his hand again. It's so weird, I don't know why but sometimes I really want Scorpius to touch me, as in hold my hand or touch my arm or even hug me and other times his touch really scares me or freaks me out. Right now, I'm not freaked out but I still don't want to walk around hand-in-hand with him.

Scorpius and I walk quietly and I wave to people I know from my school. Some people wave to Scorpius as well but he doesn't wave back, he just gives them a curt nod or something but keeps his hands in his pockets. We were passing by a 'ring-in-the-bottle' stall when I spotted a head of dark red hair hiding behind the hot dog vendor across from where we were standing. I quickly rush to her and tap her on the back.

"Leave me alone I'm spying on Jacob..." She mumbles unconsciously still continuing to stare at Jacob and Nicole.

"Um, Lily?" I raise an eyebrow at her.

She turns around, "Rose! Hi!"

"Hi", I say slowly continuing to look at her as if she's the weirdest person ever. But that's my Lily!

"Can you believe it, he won her a disgusting pink teddy bear, it's making me sick!" she says annoyed. "I still can't believe he's with _her_".

"Yeah, I forgot to tell you, they got back together at Eric's party", I inform her.

"Ugh, I can't wait till September when she's going to be on the receiving end of my Bat-Bogey hex", she sighs. If I were Nicole, I'd be scared; Lily's Bat-Bogey hex is excellent! Really, it can make you cry. "Hi Malfoy", Lily says to Scorpius when she notices him standing next to me. She raises an eyebrow at me questioningly and I give her a look telling her that I'll explain later when Scorpius isn't looking. She nods but I'm sure she's also wondering what I'm doing in his company.

"So where's Al?" I ask her casually.

"Off somewhere with his stupid _girlfriend_. Probably winning her a teddy bear as well", she says bitterly. Since when was she so bitter towards Arielle? Or maybe she's just bitter about teddy bears...

"Okay", I say slowly. "Well, Hugo was looking for you?" I tell her.

"Oh", she says surprised. "Guess I better go find him then".

"Okay, see you", I wave to her as Scorpius and I head towards the Ferris wheel. "Scorpius I really want to play a game or go on a ride with you", I say cheerfully. Scorpius only blinks and nods. He seems to be lost in thought and I wonder what he was thinking. "Scorpius, what's wrong?" I ask him.

Scorpius raises an eyebrow at me, "What would be wrong?" he practically mumbles still looking around.

"You're not talking to me!" I complain. Geez I hope I don't sound like I'm whining.

"You're busy talking to all your friends", he says lazily.

"But I want to talk to you", I don't care if I'm whining now.

Scorpius sighs, "Rose, carnivals aren't my thing. Can't we just go somewhere away from here?"

"Go where?" I ask.

Scorpius shrugs again, "I don't know", he says, "Anywhere we could be alone, we can talk as much as we want". Oh brother.

"Scorpius it's not fun being alone all the time", I say to him seriously. "You've got to get out or you're just going to become depressed".

"This stupid place is making me depressed!" He exclaims a bit angrily.

"Okay, fine! Let's just stay a bit longer and then we'll go", I sigh out of frustration. I feel like I'm a mother and he's my difficult child.

"Can't we just go now? Let's go, I'm going" he says.

"No! Scorpius if you really care about me, then you'll do this, for me", I say to him. He's got to agree now.

"Fine!" He huffs.

I smile at him innocently, pleased at my victory, "Thank you Scorpius", I say cutely and give him a small peck on the cheek...weird! I didn't really think about what I was doing and I just gave Scorpius a small kiss. I mean I've kissed his cheek before but that was when he was sleeping. I hope I haven't made it awkward between us since Scorpius isn't used to affection and tenderness. I look at him but I don't see him surprised or blushing or anything. It seems like he didn't notice or didn't care. He just continues to mutter somewhat angrily under his breath about me emotionally blackmailing him. I smile because it's sort of funny. I sigh out of relief that my sudden movement hasn't had any effect on the mood or him. Suddenly, Scorpius grabs my arm and pulls me across the lawn. "Scorpius, where are you taking me?" I ask startled.

"We're going to play some of these goddamn games so we can get out of here!" he says annoyed and then smirks. I burst out laughing as he pulls me to a game booth where we have to throw darts at a small target. "I need eight darts", he says hastily to the lady.

"Alrighty!" she says cheerfully as she hands them to us. She pressed a button and some music starts playing and a few people gather around to watch us and also play. Scorpius hands me four darts and takes four for himself. I continue to giggle at his determination to get out of here.

"Play!" he orders, slightly smiling himself. He's smiling! I go first and two of my darts don't even stick to the board, they just fall down. Yes, that's how bad my aim is! Two however, do manage to reach the board but nowhere near the target.

"Good, try, good try!" the lady says. "Here's your key chain and candy", she says handing me a cute little clear plastic bag with ribbons tied around, filled with little goodies. "Now your turn young man", she says turning to Scorpius. To my surprise, Scorpius hits a lot near the target than me. His second one hit really close! I suddenly get an idea. As he's aiming for the center with his third one, I creep up next to him slowly, he doesn't notice since he's concentrating really hard. I smile at myself thinking about how evil and vicious I am! This has got to be fun! Just when Scorpius throws the dart, I blow in his ear. Scorpius cringes at the hot air and his throw doesn't make it to the board.

"Rose!" he says turning around. I giggle and a bunch of people who had been watching us play also chuckle and laugh. Scorpius gives a slight smile as well, making me so happy. "If you do that again, I swear..." he says to me smiling and smirking slightly.

"I won't do it again, promise!" I say stepping away still smiling mischievously. I snort silently as I watch Scorpius concentrate hard with his last dart. The people around us also watch intensely since Scorpius had been playing quite well before my meddling. And just as we anticipated, Scorpius's dart hit the very middle point and a fun sounding siren went on. I rushed to give him a quick hug and the lady beamed at us while the small group of people clapped lightly.

"Now, what will your prize be young man?" she asked him as she showed him large stuffed animals. There were ones of superheroes and there were teddy bears and even just large animals. Scorpius, to my small surprise pointed to a huge green and grey snake with grey eyes. How Slytherin! "Here you go and excellent job", she said handing him his choice. We waved goodbye to her and watched as we walked away, lots of people came to her; probably thinking it was an easy game to win since Scorpius did it so easily.

"You've got a green snake, Scorpius", I chuckle and pat him on the back as we walk along.

"Want it? Not really into stuffed animals", Scorpius says shrugging.

"I think you should keep it. You won it", I say, even though I sort of do want it since I know I won't win at anything.

Scorpius frowns, "What am I going to do with this dumb thing? You can have it if you want", he says as he tossing it into my arms. I smile at Scorpius and stare at him for a couple seconds. "What?" He asks cocking an eyebrow at me.

"You know, _Malfoy_, when you give a lady a stuffed animal you won at a carnival, you don't really say, 'Stuffed animals are so dumb, you can have it if you want' and then throw it at her", I say to him in a playful and teasing tone.

"What would you have liked me to say?" He asks looking a bit confused. My poor Scorpius clearly does not know some really basic etiquette.

"Oh, I don't know", I shrug. "You could say, 'I won this just for you and I really want you to have it'", I tease him some more.

Scorpius frowns, "Um, 'I won this just for you and I really want you to have it'", he says it more like a question.

"No wait", I say handing him back the snake. "Now do it, properly".

Scorpius rolls his eyes, "Here you go, 'Lady', I won this just for you and I really want you to have it", he drawls.

"You have to say it like you mean it", I urge him.

Scorpius sighs, "Rose, I want you to have this because I won this especially for you", he says with a bit more effort, handing it to me.

"Thank you, Scorpius, I really appreciate it", I say taking the snake. "Scorpius, let's go on a ride!" I suggest taking his arm and pulling him to the Ferris wheel. Scorpius groans.

"Do we have to?" he asks almost pouting.

"Yes!" I nod and smirk at him. "Why are you afraid of rides too?"

"Oh yes, of course", he mutters sarcastically. I roll my eyes at him.

"Stop muttering all the time", I say to him as I drag him along the lawn past the different snack carts and vendors and Game stations and booths and rides. Suddenly, I stop in my tracks. I see a sight that I have no idea what to make of. I see three boys carrying ice cream cones with a stack of at least ten scoops and making their way to a picnic table. From this far I can't clearly see the faces of those boys but something tells me I know who they are. I take Scorpius's arm and lead him to them.

I tap him on the back and he turns around. "Benjamin Jack Sloper! What in the world are you doing?" I exclaim staring at his more-than-a-foot-long ice cream cone.

"Rose!" he says beaming at me.

"James? Fred? What are you guys doing?" I ask the three sitting on the picnic table with their ice creams and a pile of galleons in the middle.

"Carrying out a bet", James informs me taking a lick of his top scoop which is a funky blue colour.

"Whoever finishes this first, gets the gold", Fred says excitedly. I shake my head in disbelief.

"You guys are so stupid! You're going to get sick!" I tell them motioning for Ben to scoot over so I can take a seat next to him. I place my huge snake on the table.

They just shrug and chuckle. Fred notices Scorpius standing next to me and looks up questioningly. "Scorpi-boy, long time no see, eh, buddy?" he says playfully. James, Ben and I chuckle but Scorpius doesn't say anything. I immediately understand that Fred's probably talking about not seeing Scorpius at the Potter's over the past few years, like we used to before. Scorpius just shakes his head. No one around Hogwarts, especially those who know him, is oblivious to Scorpius's rebellious phase that he had before. So I'm glad when none of them ask him about it or ask him about why he isn't friends with Al anymore.

"Wanna sit?" Ben asks him nicely as he moves over a bit more so I can scoot over too and Scorpius can sit next to me.

"Thanks", Scorpius says.

"I look at Fred and James, who are sitting across us, they seem to be progressing faster than Ben. "Ben, I hope you know it's in James and Fred's blood to pig out and eat like an animal", I tell him. "I really think you should just give up", I say shaking my head.

"Nuh uh!" He says determined. "That's 30 galleons there! And ten of them are mine, I'm not giving up, Rosie", he says shaking his head and continuing to lick the ice cream cone.

"I agree with Rose, Ben", James says smirking; "Just give up, me and Fred will split it in two". He turns to Fred, "We'll have a profit of five galleons each, Freddie". Fred nods happily and Ben frown's at him.

I laugh, "Oh Ben", I say patting him on the back. Ben groans clutching his stomach and I laugh again.

"I'm starting to doubt my pigging-out abilities", he says.

"Aww", I say. I really do feel bad for him. "Here, let me help you", I say as I take a long lick starting from the bottom to the top. "Mmm, definitely taste some berries, mango, espresso and chocolate", I say as I make out the different flavours. "Oh, and definitely French Vanilla...yum!" James and Fred chuckle and Ben just looks at me thankfully.

"Rose, you've got to help me finish, I'll give you five galleons if I win!" Ben pleads.

"Just five! You've got to be kidding me!" I exclaim. "What do you think Scorpius?" I turn to Scorpius. My smile fades away when I see Scorpius just seems to be staring at me with furrowed eyebrows. They're not angry but I can't really tell what he's thinking. "Um, Scorpius?" I say.

"Huh", He says when he snaps back to reality. His face softens...thankfully. "I think five galleons is fair", he says looking away. I can hear him sigh but I don't know what to make of it.

"Thank you", Ben says sighing out of relief. "See, he thinks it's fair too!" I smile at Ben but I'm still thinking about what to make of Scorpius's sudden, odd behaviour.

"So, where's Eric?" I ask careful not to sound too interested. "Isn't he part of this bet with you three?"

"We asked him but Eric hasn't got the appetite for this sort of stuff", James tells me. "He's in the arcade with Lance and some other people". I chuckle remembering the barbeque where Eric hadn't had much to eat.

"We asked him too, but Nancy-boy Lance has got to 'watch the calories'" Fred chimes in. I laugh and notice that Scorpius suddenly looks interested at the mention of Lance.

"Oh, Ben, I don't know how you're going to do this", I sigh. "Fred and James seem to be speeding up, my friend".

Ben sighs, "Help me please". I chuckle again and start licking the bottom scoops while Ben takes on the top ones. Even I'm faster than him...well I _am_ a Weasley. So I stopped helping him when I notice the bottom was finishing faster than the top and I didn't want his scoops to collapse on us.

"You know this really isn't fair", James says. "You getting help, Ben, I mean I could just ask, I don't know, Scorpius or someone to have a few licks of my ice cream", I turn to look at Scorpius who had been staring at a clown entertaining two little boys, and only snapped out of it when he heard his name.

I laugh at a mental image of Scorpius and James sharing an ice cream cone. Ben, who seems to know what I'm thinking, chuckles as well, but Scorpius, oblivious, just frowns in confusion.

"I forgot something in my car, I, um, I think I'll go get it", Scorpius says excusing himself. I nod and he gets up to leave. We watch him go and once he's out of sight, James and Fred turn to look at me questioningly.

"Since when were you friends with Malfoy?" James asks.

"Once school ended", I shrug.

"So, you're actually friends with him?" Fred asks obviously not convinced.

"Yeah", I raise a brow at him.

"Isn't he like really, I don't know, sort of aggressive", Fred asks.

"No!" I say. He's not so aggressive, is he? No, he isn't...Now it's becoming easier and easier to say no when I'm asked that questioned.

"He's been suspended a few times before, for beating the daylights out of people", James informs me. "Did you know that?"

"I did", I tell him remembering Al told me that.

"He used to be involved in dark stuff, you know? He did drugs, that was obvious, but I've heard he knows a thing or two about dark magic", Fred said warningly.

"That's ridiculous!" I snap at him. Scorpius and dark magic? No! That's the dumbest idea ever. I know that much isn't true!

Ben rolls his eyes and tries to comfort me, "Those are just rumours. I highly doubt them".

"Fred, you're not supposed to believe all the rumours your sister informs you about", James says talking about Roxanne who's like a newspaper for the student body. Fred turns pink but laughs it off.

"Al told me he's just had a really difficult childhood and it resulted in problems. He didn't say anything more", James said.

"But I will have to admit, he's quite crazy sometimes", Ben says. I don't know if they're trying to scare me or something or warn me but they have no idea that I know all this stuff already. And it's really not as bad as they're making it sound.

"I heard all those things too, but you know, he's really sweet to me", I say. "He's a good friend, he even won me that", I point to the snake.

"Oh", they say surprised. "Okay then. I guess those must be just rumours. Or he just changed or something", they shrug. I was going to tell them how he's practically obsessed with me but I decided against it. I doubt they'd understand.

"Now, enough with Malfoy!", Ben says. "Get to work, missy, and I'll make it 10 galleons", he points to his ice cream. I smirk and begin helping him with his ice cream, working on the same scoop as him so the ice cream doesn't collapse. Fred and James frown at us and exchange glances. A few moments later, I feel a tap on my shoulder. With my tongue still on the chocolate chip mint scoop, I turn my head slightly to see who it is. It's Emma and Bonnie with questioning looks on their faces. I now understand why the four of them would be giving me such looks. Ben and I were licking the same scoop of ice cream with our lips on centimetres apart...Of course that's an odd sight! I quickly withdraw.

"Rose?" Bonnie says slowly, "What are you doing?"

"Um, helping Ben get 30 galleons", I smile sheepishly.

"We're not even gonna ask", Emma says shaking her head.

"I was looking for you guys. Where were you guys? Where's Priya?" I ask them.

"Priya's inside the arcade playing games with Louis and Zack", Bonnie says. I notice she was perfectly comfortable saying Louis's name.

"And we were inside watching Eric and Lance go on against Casey and Tyler in a car racing game", Emma replies. "Let's go inside the arcade", they ask me.

"Sure", I say taking my snake. "If Scorpius comes looking for me, tell him I'm inside. Or just tell him to call or text me", I tell Ben. Once we're out of earshot Emma turns to me.

"Scorpius is here too?" She asks.

"Yeah", I say. "He just got out of the hospital so I thought it would be nice for him to have a little fun".

"Oh, by the way, I told Bonnie and Priya about Malfoy, I hope you don't mind", Emma says. I just stare at her. Not mind! Of course I mind! I told her specifically not to tell anyone! If I wanted Bonnie and Priya to know, I would've told them myself. Geez, why can't she just keep her mouth shut? Merlin, I wonder how much she told them. I don't want everyone getting in Scorpius's business or knowing about his personal stuff, I hope she hasn't exposed anything. I shouldn't have told her in the first place! Scorpius trusted me! Now I just hope Al and Ben don't do the same! I wonder if she tells them other stuff I told her in the past...

When I don't respond, Emma becomes a little tense, so I fix my expression. I don't want Bonnie, who's standing next to us to get offended. "Let's just go inside", I say, but I'm still pissed at Emma for being such a blabber mouth. God, sometimes she's so annoying. I soon push my annoyance with her to the back of my mind when I see Eric. He and Lance are sitting side by side on the car racing game next to Casey Warrington and Tyler Higgs who are also witting side by side. Looking at Casey reminds me of Scorpius and his fight with him. If the three of them do send Scorpius in here looking for me, I wonder how he'll react when he sees him. I push the thought away though, "Hi, guys" I say to them as I walk over to Eric and Lance. God, Eric looks so sexy when he's concentrating on winning. The other two boys, who I don't socialize with much, simply mutter a 'hi'. "So you two didn't want to take part in the ice cream contest did you?" I ask them.

"Are you kidding me, Quidditch season's in a month!" Lance exclaims not taking his eyes of the screen or his hands of the wheel.

"Month?" I ask surprised, "Quidditch starts in September!"

"Yeah, and July's almost coming to an end", he points out. July's almost coming to an end? Since when! That was fast. August is coming up and we've got Victoire's wedding soon, and Hugo's Birthday as well! How'd time fly by so fast?

"I can't believe there's only a little more than a month left till school starts again", Eric sighs.

"It's going to be a tough year for you guys, isn't it?" I pat him on the back.

"Yeah", he sighs again. Bonnie, Emma and I watch their game some more, excitedly and after a couple minutes, it finally ends.

"Wanna play again", Casey asks.

"Nah", Eric says getting up from his seat. "Kind of bored of it now".

"Oh come on", Lance insists, "I need a partner...Rose, want to be my partner?"

"Not really", I say. Lance pouts.

"I'll be your partner", Emma volunteers. I roll my eyes, at her in slight annoyance. Sometimes she's so needy. Bonnie had noticed but she didn't know what to do so she just kept quiet.

"So, Rose, you want to, um, play something, I've got a couple extra coins left", Eric asks me.

"Sure!" I say, sounding much more cheerful than I had hoped.

We watch as both Lance and Tyler insert coins in their machines to start the games. We were watching their intense game for a couple seconds when we saw someone walk over and stand behind Tyler. I almost gagged when Sonia put her hands around on his eyes and say in her sickening voice, "Guess whooo?"

To my amusement though, he didn't respond like she had hoped. "What the fuck are you doing!" he yelled. "I'm trying to race a car here, get your hands off my eyes!" He yelled panicking. Eric and I looked at each other and we both snorted slightly. This was hilarious.

"Oh", her face fell. God she was so stupid!

"What do you want", Tyler said curtly not taking his eyes away from the screen.

"I just wanted to tell you I'm going to Bulgaria on Friday. To visit my family...In case you care", she snarls.

"Okay" he mumbles. I don't think he's paying attention though because his eyes are still glued to the screen.

"Tyler!" She whines.

"I'll talk to you when the game's over", He mumbles again. Eric and I try to hold back our laughter as Sonia catches a glance our way, huffs, and stomps away.

"Let's go", Eric say taking my hand and pulling me around the arcade. I give a short wave to Bonnie who nods.

"So what do you want to play?" I ask him.

"Umm, you decide", he says.

"Uh, okay! How about Air Hockey", I suggest without much thought. It's the only available thing right now.

"Ooh", Eric says as he takes a deep breath. "You don't want to play that with me. I'll crush you!" He says.

I turn to look at him, "Cocky aren't we, Mr. Wood?" I say.

"No, Ma'am, when I say I'll crush you, I'm being modest", He says shaking his head and smirking at me.

"We'll just have to see about that! Put the coins in, Mister!" I order as we both take our pieces.

"It's on!" Eric says as the game began.

It was a lot of fun, even though it only lasted for five minutes, Eric and I were both making jokes and laughing throughout the game. Eric's really fun and lively and he's really funny as well. I don't know what happened to him that other day but today he seems like a whole different person. I think Bonnie's right; he's just like Ben and my two cousins. To my surprise, I had won...Really, I'm surprised. "I won!" I cried out in glee.

"Damn it", Eric mutters and laughs before looking away...

"Hang on! You didn't just let me win did you?" I ask him.

"No!" He says turning a bright shade of pink. How cute!

"Eric! You liar, you let me win!" I slap him lightly on the arm. Oh, it feels so good to be in physical contact with him!

"I didn't", He insists. "Ouch", he rubs his arm.

"I want a rematch!" I demand.

"But I haven't got any more coins left!" he says.

"Then let's go get more", I say as I rush to go and buy more. It's quite degrading for a girl to have someone let her win; I've got to do it on my own.

"But, Rose..." he says following me to the coin buying slot. Suddenly, I feel him take hold of my arm. "I don't want to play anymore games. Let's go outside, it's so hot and loud in here".

I stare at him for a few seconds. Is he suggesting something? Although I have to agree, it is quite hot in here considering the crowd. The children are really loud and the machines are making lots of annoying noises. Maybe I should go outside with him...Hell yeah! "Um, okay", I say shrugging slightly and giving him a small smile. We make our way over to where are friends were at the car racing game but they're not there anymore. However, Bonnie and Priya are standing near the door where Eric and I were exited and both their eyes pop and they give me a thumbs up when he isn't looking. I don't bother looking for Emma or asking where she is since I'm kind still kind of annoyed.

"So..." Eric says putting his hand in his pocket.

"So?" I ask as we walk around the carnival. I realized Eric and I didn't have much to talk about, which sort of sucks.

"So what are you planning to do with the rest of the summer?" He asks me.

"Oh, I don't know, just hang around I guess. Louis's sister's wedding is coming up, and so is Hugo's birthday", I tell him.

"He's got another sister right? I think my sister knows her", Eric said.

"Yeah, he's got another sister who's much older", I informed him. Once again, Eric and I were both silent.

Finally, Eric decided to break the silence and sighed. "You know, Rose, I never noticed how cool you are before", He said giving me a sheepish smile.

I turned slightly pink, "um okay", I say as we began to drift away from the heart of the carnival.

"And I never really noticed how pretty you are", He says again, slightly smirking. I blush furiously and Eric, who noticed chuckles. We walk in silence along the silent park behind the carnival. It was almost dark now and the cool summer breeze made me shiver. Or maybe it wasn't the breeze that made me shiver.

"I really like you", Eric says, slipping his hand into mine. I almost stiffened. Eric Wood, the boy of my dreams was holding my hand? Calling me pretty? Telling me he likes me?

I take a deep breath, because if I don't do this now, then I'll regret it. "I really like you, Eric...alot. And I have for a while now". I tell him.

Eric cocks an eyebrow at me, "You do?" He asks surprised. I nod and blush again. "So how come you didn't tell me before?"

"I was scared", I mutter.

Eric chuckles, "Of what?" Of what? Do I really have to state the obvious?

"That you wouldn't like me back. Or I'd get embarrassed or something", I sighed.

"Well, I do like you back...just in case you're wondering", He grins sheepishly, still holding my hand.

I sighed out of relief and began talking, "Oh that's a relief because I thought you wouldn't, I mean being a year older I thought you'd probably be interested in someone in your own year, I mean, come on, there's girls that are beyond gorgeous in your year and plus I'm your best friends' little cousin so that could put you in an awkward place and—".

All of a sudden, Eric cupped my face in his hands and leaned down to kiss me on the lips. Eric's kissing me? _Yes, Rose, Eric is kissing you!_ This was so perfect. His kiss was soft, gentle, and innocent. Just a kiss, our mouths remained shut but I felt his lips slightly part on my lower lip. It was truly the perfect moment, and I closed my eyes to savour the feeling. Eric smelled like cologne and aftershave, how manly! His lips tasted sweet and his mouth had a vanilla and coffee scent. I wonder what I smelled like to him. I sighed when I thanked myself for remembering to wear some perfume today, just for fun. After an eternity, or so it seemed to me, Eric finally withdrew and looked at me funny. "Chocolate chip mint?" I giggled when I remembered Ben's ice cream, and nodded. "I really liked kissing you", he says, and I turn my head away smiling and feeling flushed. The moment that I had been waiting for so long for was finally in my hands.

**A/N: Guys i hope you liked this, please review, you'll really motivate me and i need motivation especially now that who knows whether i'll update. Also, if you guys have any questions or want to talk about anything, i'm really open to personal messages. I've done it with a few readers and i often reply to reviews that catch my eye or say something interesting. If you want to ask about me, this story, the characters, my inspiration, or future plans. I'd be happy to talk. Or you could even leave a question in the review if you aren't logged in and i'll definitly address them. Thanks for reading guys. **


	19. The Carnival part 2: The Ugly

**A/N: OMG. My little cousin's nice enough to let me use her computer! Yay! So I'm gonna be able to update, even as I sit here in my mother land (I wasn't born in Canada )! Anyways, happy reading!**

See this is what I was hoping for at the party. I sigh from pure bliss and touch his lip, "You can kiss me again if you want—I mean there's no pressure—If you want...I wouldn't mind—But you don't have to if you don't—". Just then Eric placed his lips on mine again, just a tad bit more intensely than the first time, but I didn't mind. He cut me off again. Maybe he thinks I talk too much...No, he knows I talk too much. This time I placed my hands between us on his chest and Eric's are still cupping my cheeks, his lips part ever so slightly. The tip of his tongue gently teased my bottom lip, licking away my melon flavoured lip gloss, before asking my permission to enter. Of course I slowly parted my lips as well and his tongue slightly thrust into my mouth, dancing with my tongue, competing for control. I realized I wasn't kissing Eric anymore, I was _making_ _out_ with him! I had only kissed boys before, but hadn't ever had tongue action! I've never made out with anyone! I quickly withdrew, panting slightly to catch my breath.

"You okay?" Eric asks, concerned, why I ended it so abruptly.

"Y-yeah", I stutter. We hear faint noises and we turn to watch a group of teenage muggle boys and girls walking and laughing near the lake.

"Let's go to my car, we'll have privacy there", He suggests taking my hands in his.

His car? He want's to make out in his car! Oh no, no no no no! I can't do that! That's a bit fast and too much and it's dark now... I'm not ready to make out in his car. I mean, are we even boyfriend and girlfriend now? We both admitted our feelings and kissed but he didn't ask me out yet. Why? I don't know if I should go any further before he asks me out...

"Um, I-I want to, um, go back to the carnival", I say nervously.

"Why?" He asks frowning.

"I, I just want to go back and enjoy the carnival", I lied...miserably.

"I thought you liked kissing me", He said it more like a question.

I sigh, "I do, but...", _I'd like it better if I was your girlfriend first_...Of course I don't say that to him.

"But what?" he asks.

"I don't know, I just don't want to...not right now", I tried to explain without giving my real reasons.

"But why?" he asks again.

"I don't know. I-I just d-don't", I stutter.

"Oh, um, okay", he says. "We can go back". Quietly we both walk back to the carnival and this time we don't hold hands. I still don't understand why he's not asking me out. I mean it would be the perfect chance and why not. We both admitted we like each other and we kissed and made out so what was he waiting for. May be I should ask _him_ out...No, that's weird, usually boys ask the girl out, and he's seventeen I think he'd know that by now. I sighed again at the disappointment and Eric stole a glance my way but continued to walk back quietly with his hands in his pocket. Does Eric just want to make out with me or touch me or something? That was sort of the message he was giving off at his party as well.

"Rose?" I hear a voice say my name as we reach near the center of the fair. I turn my head to see who called my name and sighed out of relief when I saw.

"Scorpius", I say as I walk over to him. He seems to be coming towards us from the parking lot and I can only assume he was at his car or something. Eric on the other hand has eyes slightly widened when he sees Scorpius and me. It was starting to get a bit annoying as people looked surprised at my friendship with Scorpius.

"Scorpius what took you so long?" I ask him.

"N-nothing," he says. I raise an eyebrow at him, because I can't tell if he's lying. I don't get time to dwell on that thought much because Eric lets out a slight cough, letting us know he's still here, even though no one's really ignoring him.

"Hey, Rose, are you coming?" Eric asks me.

"Um, you go on, I'll come in a bit", I say. Eric looks at us funny again, and then he just looks annoyed and turns around to leave. Scorpius and I watch him go and once he's out of ear shot, I turn to Scorpius. "So what were you doing in your car for so long?" I ask him.

"I wasn't in my car", he says.

"Then where were you?" I ask.

"I was just getting some fresh air", he says. I nod because I can tell he's telling the truth.

"Let's go inside", I suggest.

"So you and Eric..." He begins to ask.

I sigh, "He kissed me".

"Oh", Scorpius says.

"It was weird, we admitted our feelings and kissed and even made out a little but he didn't ask me to be his girlfriend", I say. Before I could realize, I was recounting every single detail of my time with Eric tonight, from Air Hockey to the kiss. I didn't know why but here I was, spilling my heart out to the one boy I seriously doubted could help me in this situation. But it wasn't help I wanted, it was comfort, and as rough and aggressive as Scorpius was to the world, he was tender and gentle towards me. "What am I supposed to make of this?" I ask him even though I don't expect an answer.

"I don't know", he says in a soft and quiet voice. "He wanted to be alone in his car with you?"

"Yeah", I nod. "But I don't like the idea of that. It just doesn't...feel right".

"You've been alone in my car with me, in hours of the night much later than this", Scorpius points out.

I stop to think. That was true. I never mind being alone with Scorpius but that's different...I think. My relationship with Scorpius is different. Yes, definitely different. "Scorpius, I feel comfortable with you", I say. Scorpius nods, "And at the same time, I feel safe with you".

"Even after everything I've done?" Scorpius asks quietly looking at the ground.

"Yes", I say clear and loud. "I feel safest with you...even after everything you've done"

Scorpius moves to walk a little closer to me so now our arms brush against each other's. "I don't think Eric would ever put you in an uncomfortable position", Scorpius assures me.

"I know", I sigh.

"And if he does, I would just to have to break his neck and crack his skull open", Scorpius growls.

I stare at Scorpius sort of startled, "That's a bit intense...". It's a bit scary the way he thinks. "I'm not worried about that though. I've known Eric for a long time and he's a good friend of James, Fred, and Ben. But I just had so many high hopes, you know? I just wish he would ask me out. Why can't he just ask the goddamn question?" I say again with a small breaking voice.

Scorpius suddenly shoots me a warning look. "Don't cry, don't you dare cry. I hate when you cry", he says worried.

I sniffle and snort slightly at his comment, "I won't". My voice seems to be getting smaller and my visions seems to be getting blurrier, great I was going to cry over a bloody boy! How weak was I?

"Oh, Rose..." He says softly. "I hate when you're sad". And a big fat stinkin' tear rolls down my face...But I wasn't embarrassed by it in front of Scorpius.

Scorpius seems to be a bit uncomfortable though. I know he's unsure of what he should do. He's got his hands in his pockets and he's staring at the gravel on the ground probably debating how he should comfort me in this situation. By now, I know Scorpius so well I can read almost all his expressions and I almost always know what he's thinking. I snort to myself because I find this sort of funny and I look at Scorpius with a small smile.

"What?" He asks looking unsure again.

"You know, _Malfoy_, when a girl's crying to you about a boy she likes, you don't put your hands in your pockets and quietly stand there staring at your own feet", I say to him with a small teasing smile.

"Oh, um, what do you want me to do?" He asks innocently and nervously.

"You're supposed to put your arm around me or pat me on the back or offer me a tissue or something. And you're supposed to tell me it's his loss, or everything will come around or it's not meant to be".

He hesitatingly pats me on the back. "Oh, um, it's his loss and...I don't have a tissue", Scorpius says. I smile at myself knowing how much I was going to have to teach him.

As if Scorpius has read my thoughts, he says, "I've never really seen you cry about something else other than me so I don't really know..."

"I know, it's okay", I tell him. "Let's go back, I want to go on a few rides before we go", I say a bit more chipper as I wipe my tears.

"Okay", Scorpius nods. I know he really wants to suggest leaving now but he doesn't, since I'm already a bit upset, and I find that sort of sweet.

We walk back around the large tents and look around to see if we can find our friends. I look around hoping to see Eric and see what he's doing but I don't find him. I push Eric to the back of my mind and take Scorpius's arm and pull him to the Ferris wheel. I had intended to go on the Ferris wheel earlier tonight but I got caught up and now I was going to and Scorpius was coming with me! I was glad when he didn't groan or whine. He quietly let me pull him along.

"You wait here, I'll go buy us tickets", I say to Scorpius when we get in line.

"I already got them", he says holding out two tickets.

I look at him confused and surprised, "When did you buy the tickets?"

"When you were sitting with Ben and your cousins. You really wanted to go on the Ferris wheel so I thought I'd buy tickets for you and me", he shrugs. I stare at Scorpius thinking how considerate he is when he wants to be.

"Thank you Scorpius, that's really nice of you. Your really do pay attention don't you", I say warmly as I take my ticket.

"Just to you", He smiles back...making me even happier. Scorpius really does care for me, he seems to really pay close and careful attention to what I say or do and he can even infer my thoughts or actions. Why couldn't Eric do that? Why does Eric have to be so dumb?

"I know you didn't want to come here but I want to thank you for coming with me", I tell him. Scorpius just nods and I look up to see that it was our turn to get on. I looked at him excitedly and walk over and get in a little box-like cart, Scorpius follows me and the man working here locks the door of it. Slowly we go up while more riders get on, and then the Ferris wheel starts turning.

"Imagine falling from this high". I say leaning off my seat a little too down when it stops when Scorpius and I are at the very top.

"That's frightening", Scorpius agrees.

"What would you do if I fell from here", I ask. Scorpius shoots me a panicked look and pulls me back down to my seat. I burst into laughter.

"If you fell from here, I'd come right behind you", he sighs.

"Oh Scorpius!" I say to him and laugh again.

Scorpius and I don't talk much during the rest of the ride. We just sit there quietly in each other's company, enjoying each other's presence. Once we're off the ride, Scorpius and I go to a few more rides. We take turns buying the tickets for the both of us, even though Scorpius kept saying he didn't mind buying all the tickets. But I refused to let him.

"We can go now", I say to Scorpius. I think I've tested his patience and agreeability enough today and I know he just wants to get out of here now. To be honest, I kind of want to too and it's almost eleven o'clock. So as we pass along, I just wave and say goodbye to my friends. Scorpius however stops to buy a cold drink from the vendors near the washrooms and as I wait for him, I hear the voice of Jake MacMillan call out my name.

"Hi Jake!" I turn around to greet him.

"Rose! How's it going?" He asks in a friendly tone.

"Fine. How's Amelia? Is she back from America?" I ask.

"Yeah! She came on Tuesday. She's in the washroom", He informs me pointing to the ladies room. Scorpius joins us now and Jake greets him in a friendly tone as well. I'm glad that Jake doesn't seem to look at us questioningly...he's the first one who's acting normal.

"Hello, MacMillan", Scorpius says.

"So are you guys having a good time?" Jake asks.

"Yeah! But we're kind of tired now", I say truthfully.

"Same", He agrees. "Amelia and I are thinking of leaving and grabbing a bite to eat before heading home".

My stomach rumbles and I turn slightly pink. Jake chuckles. "I didn't realize how hungry I was!" I say.

"We can get something to eat on the way home", Scorpius says and I nod.

"So, how have you been, Rose?" Jake asks with a more serious tone.

I raise my eyebrow at him, "I've been well".

"I mean, after what happened?" He says.

I really don't know what he's talking about. What happened? "What are you talking about?" I ask him. Jake glances at Scorpius for a second. "Oh, it's okay, you can say anything in front of him", I assure him. It was after all, Scorpius, who I probably did not care to hide anything from.

"I mean, how have you been since—". Oh that!

"OH! I've been good...after that!" Shit! I suddenly remembered! Scorpius could not find out at any cost or he'd hate himself. Scorpius just looks at us questioningly like there's something fishy going on.

"Oh that's good", Jake sighs.

"Yeah", I sigh out of relief and nod.

Jake sighs as well, "Well, I'm glad you didn't hyperventilate again". Oh Fuck! Someone please shoot me right now! Why'd he have to say the 'h' word in front of Scorpius? Oh yeah...because I told him he can say anything in front of Scorpius! I can't believe how stupid I am.

"You hyperventilated?" Scorpius shoots me a serious look. Now I'm in trouble...

"And, she fainted", stupid Jake adds. Thanks a lot Jake! This is how you repay me for finding you a girlfriend!

"So, when did this happen?" Scorpius asks me in a low and dangerous voice.

"A couple Sundays ago. At the mall. She was just crying and panicking. She ended up in the Emergency Room across the street", Jake says. Shut up...I beg you! Just then Amelia comes out of the washroom and Jake bids us goodbye...but the fire's already been lit. What a coincidence!

Once Jake leaves, Scorpius turns to me. "You _hyperventilated_?" He asks, his voice getting more dangerous as it got lower and lower.

"Really, it was nothing, he's just exhag—" I insist.

"At the mall a few Sundays ago? You _fainted_?" He asks taking a step towards me. I was afraid; I didn't know what he would do, so I took a step back.

"Scorpius, I—"

"And you never thought to _inform_ me?" He yells. Thank god this place is noisy and crowded! "It was because of me, wasn't it? You were in the E.R and you never thought to _tell_ me?"

"Scorpius you don't need to get so _angry_!" I say raising my voice a bit.

"How could you _do_ that?" He yelled furiously.

"Can we please take it somewhere else?" I asked, annoyed.

"Fine!" He says, taking my arm, not roughly though, and pulling me all the way to the parking lot to stand near his car. "Why didn't you tell me?" He demands.

"Because, I didn't find it important?" I said.

"Not important? Not _important_? How could you not find it important?"

"Scorpius, it doesn't matter?" I said my voice rising out of frustration.

"I hurt you and you never bothered to let me know or tell me how horrible I am", His voice lowers.

"Well, what would you have done?" I snapped, "Drove into a wall again or something?"

Scorpius just stares at me before grasping my shoulders roughly, "I would've done whatever I had to", He says in a small but warningly dangerous voice again.

"Scorpius, let go of me", I said matching his voice. After a few minutes of staring at each other angrily, Scorpius cools down slightly and so do I. "I'm so sorry. It was all because of me", He says quietly. My face softens.

"Scorpius, that's done and over with, we've moved on", I tell him gently, taking his hands off my shoulders and into my own hands.

"Yes, but I can't believe you were in the E.R because of me. You were crying and fainted..." He said, his voice filled with sadness.

"But it's okay now", I insist trying to comfort him. Scorpius just gazed at me for a few seconds...and that's when it happened. Scorpius decided to slowly placed his hands on my waist and pulled me closer, as if to hug me. The only thing is, he didn't _hug me_ hug me, instead, Scorpius caught me by surprise by bringing his face lower and burying it in my neck, just above my collar bone. I stiffened but lost the voice to say anything as Scorpius gently touched and rubbed his nose to my neck and earlobe. It felt so weird! I was so confused and I didn't know what I should do. Should I pull away and tell him to get off...What surprised me and startled me even more was that I felt Scorpius's body gently push mine back and I thought I would fall backwards and he'd collapse on top of me, but I didn't, he pushed me back against his car and put both hands on the car on each side of me next to my shoulders. Oh dear, Merlin! This felt so strange! Was he going to pin me against it again like he did that day and suffocate me? I was afraid he might try to do the same thing...but he didn't. Scorpius Malfoy had me pushed up against his car with his face nuzzled into my neck. What was I supposed to do? I could push him off, but I had no courage to. I lost my voice and I had become a stiff statue.

"I'm so sorry I'm horrible", His muffled voice came out. "I don't know what I'd do without you". His hot breath on my neck only sent shivers down my spine.

"I-it's okay", I stammered. Hesitatingly, I placed a hand on the back of his neck and the other in his hair at the back of his head. I had no courage to push him off so we stood there in an embrace for a while. Scorpius kept whispering how he felt so lost and lonely without me and how he hated himself for hurting me. Scorpius needed me to comfort him and let him know he's not horrible and that he won't lose me and be alone so that's exactly what I did.

"You're so warm comforting", He mumbled and I had no idea whether he was talking about me as a person or my body. His comment only increased my desire to let him hold me. "I need you so much, Rose".

"I know", I whispered as I stroked his hair. "And I'm always here for you". Scorpius sighed, making me shiver again. We just stood there like that for what felt like a long time before he gently pulled back and stared at me for a few seconds, playing with the ends of my hair. Instead of going to the car, he took my arm and pulled gently pulled me to a tree on top of a small hill that was far away from the parking lot and the carnival. It was dark now, and with no lights here in this area that was secluded from the rest of the carnival.

Scorpius and I sat next to each other under the tree, without any touching, and just stared at the lights around the carnival and listened to the faint noises of laughter coming from it. We both sat in silence until Scorpius decided to break it. "I'm so sorry I'm mean to you sometimes and I yell at you", he says.

"It's okay", I whisper.

"It's not", he sighs, "and I come so close to losing you—"

"But you won't", I assure him. I didn't understand why he always said he was afraid of losing me even though I've assured him so many that he wouldn't.

"You have no idea how much I care about you", he whispers. "And how much I need you and want you to be by my side. I really wanted to leave this carnival so I could just be with you alone and I could just look at you and hold you and know that you're with me", he sighs taking hold of my hand.

I stare at Scorpius. How could a boy who meant nothing to me only a month ago suddenly start to mean so much? How have I gone from his annoying classmate to the center of his world? How could Scorpius feel so strongly about me? Was it possible? My eyes begin to feel wet again and I'm not sure why so I turned my face away and we sat in silence once again.

"I've never really had a childhood like yours, Rose", He said quietly. My ears perked up and I looked at him. "My mum left me when I was three months old. I don't know why though", he said quietly. I just stared and listened, not sure of what to make of it, I was surprised that his mother left when he was a baby but I finally realised what Narcissa meant when she said she didn't know where his Mum is. It made sense. "She hated my grandfather because he was mean to her for being a Muggleborn and she and my father never got along after only a few months of marriage. My grandmother said he was violent towards her and the Manor was a constant war zone. She hated being a part of that life so she just left", Scorpius sighed.

"I'm sorry", I whisper as I stare at him.

Scorpius just shrugs, "She went to work one day and never came back. And when my grandmother checked, all her things weren't in their place. She had just packed up and left me. She didn't care about me. She didn't even care to stay for me, or take me with her. She left me when I was still a breastfeeding, unable and dependent infant. When I _needed_ her". Scorpius sighs again and I squeeze his hand. I felt sad that Scorpius didn't have a mum because I've learned from experience how much every kid needs a mother.

"So your grandmother took care of you, right?" I guess that's what Al meant saying she was the only person who cares about him.

"Yeah. But I honestly don't remember my Dad really being there for anything either. He barely ever talked to me so I stayed a lot with my Gran's sister, my Granny Andromeda and her grandson Teddy "

"Wait you know Teddy and Mrs. Tonks?" I ask surprised. I never knew Teddy and Scorpius were related or that Mrs. Tonks and Narcissa are sisters.

"Yeah. That's why I spent a lot of time with the Potters. Uncle Harry used to invite me over. He's not my real Uncle, of course. I just call him Uncle because my cousin Teddy calls him Uncle and I caught on when I was a toddler. He and his wife were really nice and whenever Teddy visited them, they invited me to come as well". I got a mental image of a little blond, pale toddler trotting around and I smiled slightly to myself.

"Oh! I always thought you were there because of Al or Al invited you or something", I exclaim.

"That's how Al I became friends. But I didn't stay with Granny Dromeda for a long time though. I started staying at home more often when I was around thirteen years old. But I liked it better there, because my Grandmother would often stay as well and the four of us just did whatever we liked and they were all nice. But when I started being at home more often, my father, you might have heard his name in the paper, Draco Malfoy? Well I think he hates me", Scorpius sighs again.

"I don't think he hates you, Scorpius", I whisper, even though I have no idea. I squeeze Scorpius's hand again to comfort him.

"I think he does. He always said I look just like 'that bitch' and that I shouldn't have been born. He said I'm a curse apparently". My eyes teared up and I couldn't believe how easily Scorpius was telling me this, without an expression on his face. "I hope you don't mind me telling you all this", he mutters when he notices my wet eyes.

"No of course not!" I choke out.

"My grandfather was really mean and called me 'half-blood' and said my mother's a 'Mudblood'. He wanted to disown me and throw me in an orphanage or something because my mother and I had blackened the Malfoy name apparently. He hated my father too for marrying her in the first place and my father took it out on me", Scorpius sighed but I didn't hear resentment in his voice. Why wasn't he breaking? Had he turned off all his emotions...No! He's got some very strong ones for me so that's impossible.

I put my arm around him and sigh, "Scorpius, I'm so sorry. Maybe they were angry. Maybe they don't _hate_ you—"

"Trust me, Rose, they do. Do you know how many times they've used the Cruciatus Curse on me? Or how many times I've been whipped with a belt? Or how many duels have taken place in our Manor? You don't know what it feels like to be tortured. It so painful, it makes you crazy!"

"I-I saw some bruises and scars". That was all I could stutter out. I was shocked and crying. How could someone hurt Scorpius? Imagining Scorpius screaming from the agonizing pain just made me want to hurl. I can't believe they used the Cruciatus on him; it's illegal for Merlin's sake! My parents say they've had it used on them during the Second War and they said they don't ever want to talk about it. My mum told me that Nick and Arielle's grandparents are in a St. Mungo's ward because of it. So how could someone use it on their own blood? On a child! One they gave birth to!

"Yeah. Those are from the whippings", he shrugged.

"Scorpius, I'm so sorry", I manage to choke out.

Scorpius stares at me for a few seconds. "Don't cry, Rose, it's over now, I'm old enough to protect myself now".

"I know but still", I say. "Why didn't you tell anyone? You should've told Headmistress McGonagall or even Professor Bole".

"Rose, I was a kid. I didn't really have the strength and courage to. It's hard telling someone, and I was afraid of what would happen if I did", Scorpius shrugs again lacking any resentment or hurt expressions.

"So, how did you get into the drugs stuff?" I ask when I pull myself together.

"I was exposed to it by some older boys. And it just helped me forget my problems and I sort of got addicted", He said looking at me closely to see my reaction. But I just sat there looking at him. "Once I was a bit older, I also found an interest in wrestling and body building".

"Wrestling?" I repeat surprised. That explains his aggressive nature and amazing strength...and body.

"Those things helped me take out my anger and build strength and I felt safe and secure when I built strength because I felt like I could protect myself, so I wasn't afraid all the time", Scorpius said. "But sometimes I wish I didn't", he sighed.

"Why?" I ask curiously.

"Because I'm afraid of wrongfully using my strength on you", He whispered. "When I'm angry, Rose, I can't control my hands, and I'm afraid of hurting you".

"I'm not afraid because I know you won't. I trust you", I assure him again and he gives me a small smile.

"But I'm afraid all the time", he says fidgeting with his fingers.

"I'm not", I say confidently as I hold his hands and we're both silent.

"Scorpius, Is your f-family still, um, mean to you?" I ask.

Scorpius raises an eyebrow at me. "No, not really. Not anymore. But I'm practically a grown man now, Rose. And people only wrongfully hurt those weaker than them". I sigh out of relief. "We just don't talk anymore. The manor's huge and I stay in my own part of it, or I stay at the safe house, the cottage".

"Doesn't it get lonely? By yourself, I mean", I ask.

"I've got my house elf, Twinkie", he jokes. "I've gotten used to being alone, and I quite like it now".

"I want to see your house", I say. Scorpius's face turns to panic immediately.

"No way! There is no way I'm taking you to the manor! I don't want to risk—"

"Relax", I chuckle. "I was talking about the safe house".

"Oh", Scorpius sighs out of relief. "Okay, I'll take you there one day". I nod. Scorpius and I watch the carnival as the lights and noise decreases and I look down at my watch to see its past midnight. But it didn't make a difference to us as we sat there side by side without any touching, but the fact that we were next to each other just made all the difference in the world.

...

"Let's go look for Hugo and head home", I suggest looking at Scorpius sitting next to where I'm lying on the grass.

"Okay", he says helping me up since I feel so lazy.

"I should probably text him, he must be so worried", I muttering to myself as I take out my phone. I see that Hugo has sent me a text saying he can't find me so Ben and James are driving him home. That's a relief. I feel horrible for totally forgetting about him tonight.

"I'm so sleepy", I yawn as Scorpius and I walk across the lawn.

"You'll be home soon. Do you want something to eat?" He asks me.

"No, I'll just have glass milk or something before going to bed. Where are you going to go? Which house?" I ask curiously.

"The manor", he sighs.

"Oh", I say quietly. "Why don't you go to the safe house?" I didn't really like the idea of Scorpius being around those who hurt him.

"It's way too far, near Hogwarts, you know?" Scorpius informs me.

"Oh. But you don't like being at the manor. Maybe you should go to the safe house. Floo there or something", I suggest thinking it'll be safer for him.

"I don't care if I have to stay at the manor if it means I'll be closer to you", He says expressionlessly. I don't say anything though since I'm a bit surprised he's staying in town, at the manor, the place he hates, just for me. I'm touched.

"Do you want to stay over at my house?" I have no idea what possessed me to say that but I just wanted to. "You'll be even closer to me", I chuckle.

"Oh, um. I don't think so", he says carefully.

"I think you should. Don't worry about my parents", I knew I would get in so much shit for this but I didn't care.

Scorpius just looks uneasy. "Rose, I don—".

"Please stay. I don't want you to go to the manor", I insist.

Scorpius chuckles softly. "Rose, it's fine", he assures me. "I'll be fine". I sigh hoping he's right. I clutch on to Scorpius's arm and lean my head on his shoulder. Scorpius and I walk to his car talking and laughing about the most random things. I was laughing hard at a prank Scorpius told me about that he pulled with Al back in second year, when I accidently bumped into someone.

"Watch where you're going!" The boy snarled.

"I'm so sorry!" I said to him. I didn't recognize him but I do think he was being rather rude.

"Are you blind or do you just walk around with your eyes shut?" He says rudely. I look at him a bit taken aback.

"Excuse me?" I say startled.

"Hey! It was an accident. She apologized!" Scorpius says taking a step closer to the boy. He looked to be near our age, maybe a bit older. But I pulled Scorpius's arm before he gets angry and tried to pull him away. Scorpius didn't budge and the two just stood there glaring at each other before Scorpius finally huffed and turned around.

As we were walking away we heard that boy's angry voice. "Fuckin' blind whore!" He yelled.

All of a sudden, Scorpius stopped in his tracks and froze. He spun around and stormed his way back to the boy. "What did you say?" Scorpius asked in a low and dangerous voice. I rushed to Scorpius to try to pull him away because I knew he was mad and when he's mad, things get ugly. The stupid boy spat in Scorpius's face and all of a sudden Scorpius grabbed him by the collar and shoved him to the tarmac ground.

"Oh my goodness!" I yelled. "Scorpius, let's get out of here!" I insisted. Scorpius was panting now trying to contain his anger and I was getting frightened by the second. It seemed like Scorpius was working hard to try to keep from busting this boy's head open because he had his fists clenched and he was breathing hard, just pacing around furiously. The boy got up from the ground and he was so stupid that he pushed Scorpius. Of all people, Scorpius. "Scorpius, no! He's not worth it", I insisted in a panicked tone as Scorpius glared at the boy, clenching his fists tighter. I took Scorpius's arm but he yanked it away.

"I am going to rip his limbs apart!" Scorpius yells before lunging at the boy. Scorpius was on top of the boy punching him all over the place. I was so afraid and I didn't understand what I was seeing. This wasn't the Scorpius I knew, it was as if he had been possessed by a monster! This wasn't my Scorpius!

"Scorpius, stop!" I shrieked. "Scorpius, please don't hurt him!" I cried as I watched blood spilling from the boy's mouth. Scorpius was here beating the living daylights out of this muggle boy. Didn't he realize how much trouble he could get in? I was so scared that I was crying now and yelling for Scorpius to stop. I didn't know whether I should call for help because I didn't want Scorpius to get in trouble or anyone to find out.

"Scorpius, please, I'm begging you, stop!" I cried. I yelled even more as Scorpius lifted the boy's head and slammed it down on the paved parking lot ground. I shrieked again but just then I saw something. Near where the boy was standing were multiple empty glass bottles of beer...The boy was drunk. "Scorpius, stop it!" I pulled Scorpius's arms. "He was drunk, Scorpius!" it didn't seem like he had heard me the first time so I kept on repeating it. I was so afraid but I had to make him stop. By now Scorpius was standing and stomping on the boys face and arms and hands. It was disgusting the way Scorpius was breaking the boy. No one deserved this, I had to make him stop but I was so confused and scared, that I couldn't think properly.

I knew only one thing would work and it frightened me even more, but it had to work. It just had to. I walked over to the empty bottles and slowly, with shaking hands, I picked up the empty glass bottle and slammed it on the streetlight pole to break it. Taking the sharper piece of the broken glass, I walked to where Scorpius was. He was still furious and hitting the boy. My body was shaking and tears were spilling out of my eyes, but I had to do this, it was the only thing left to do. I didn't want the police to come and take Scorpius away and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who knows how to handle Scorpius and make him stop. Shaking, I creeped up behind Scorpius with the broken glass bottle in my hand with tears running down my face.

"Scorpius!" I said loudly. "I'm going to hurt myself if you don't stop", I warned him in a shaking voice. Maybe he didn't hear me, so I stepped to where he could see me and held the broken edge tightly in my hand against my upper thigh and prayed that he wouldn't let me do this. It was going to hurt and I was so afraid. "Scorpius, I'm going to cut myself!" I yelled in his face. Scorpius breathed hard and stopped slightly before resuming kicking the boy in the gut. Maybe he didn't believe I would do it. Maybe he knew I was trying to get him to stop. "Scorpius!" I cried before screaming in agonizing pain. Before I had realized I had a slash on my right thigh. It felt like it was on fire. The burning was endless and the hot red liquid only worsened it. I thought my thigh would hurt less than any other part but I was wrong. I fell to the floor and withered in pain. I was crying again and breathing became difficult. I began to feel dizzy and nauseas and I was afraid and prayed it wouldn't happen again. _Please not again_, I thought as my vision got blurrier and my head felt light. I had enough senses to realize what was happening to me, because it had happened before. An image of children playing in the fountain flashed before my eyes as did the eyes of Jake MacMillan.

I could still make out my surroundings and I felt two arms around me, holding me. I was feeling dizzy but I recognized the scent of Scorpius. I also heard his yelling and panic but couldn't understand what exactly he was saying. I felt him holding my injured body and a piece of cloth wrap around my injured thigh. I was being held tight by Scorpius in his arms and the last thing I remember was seeing a figure come towards us. It looked like the figure could be Ben, or maybe Damien, or someone who looks like Ben and Damien...

**A/N: OMG! That was INTENSE! Oh my god! So friendship with Scorpius is so draining and really starting to have an effect on Rose's well being and state of mind. He's sucking her into his disturbing world! This chapter has a lot of psychological stuff so let me know if you spot any or understand some things.**

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: So this chapter is really informative and I tried to reveal a lot of the mysteries surrounding Scorpius that need to be revealed before I write the rest of the story. Of course there are more but if you still have any questions or confusions about him that I didn't address in this chapter, please ask me or let me know in case I missed something or forgot something and I'll remember to address it in the next chapters (If it needs to be revealed yet!). **

**Thanks for reading and BTW, who do you think is the figure coming towards Scorpius and Rose at the end? Until next time...Tatah!**


	20. A Dose of the Scorpius Drug

**A/N: Why the long wait? Please...Don't even ask! Such a long story. But anyways have fun reading!**

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><p>I felt so warm and snug underneath the blanket that I didn't want to come out. I was lying on a bed that felt too comfy and familiar…I opened my eyes slightly to realize that I was in my own bed. How did I get here? What happened? I had a pounding headache and I groaned slightly to myself but stopped when I heard voices. I peaked out from inside my blanket to see my room. I gazed around only to freeze when I saw the familiar back of a blond haired boy staring out my window. He was talking to someone. That someone was standing next to Scorpius but I couldn't see her face, although the long blond and white hair looked too familiar. They were talking in hushed tones and when they moved slightly I could see light peering through the window. It must be morning. I closed my eyes again but heard footsteps so I opened them to see who it was.<p>

"Again, I want to thank you so much for bringing her home", I heard my Mum's voice sniffle. Was she crying? "We're just happy her injury isn't too serious but what I don't understand is how she fainted again. Rose never used to do that".

"She was probably frightened", the other woman said gently. I recognized the voice of Narcissa Malfoy, Scorpius's grandmother. What was she doing here? How long had I been out for?

"And you said she hyperventilated before as well, when she was frightened?" Scorpius said in a voice so _innocent_ that even after all this time I've known him, it seemed foreign to me.

"Yes", my mum said. "But it's only started recently. She's becoming weak. I'm so worried. I don't know what's happened to her lately. She's hardly ever home but her friends say she barely sees them anymore…" Mum said trailing off.

"I'm sure it's just a phase, Hermione", I heard Mrs. Malfoy's gentle voice comfort my Mum. "She's a teenager and I'm sure she'll grow out of it. And from what Scorpius tells me, Rose seems to be a very mature and sensible girl. I think if there was something going on, she'd come to you right away".

"I just hope so", Mum muttered. Just then I heard Dad call Mum's name and I heard her walk away and close the door behind her. I was going to say something to Scorpius to let him know I'm awake but then I stopped.

"I can't believe how _stupid_ you were, Scorpius? How many times is this going to happen?" I heard his grandmother snarl at him in a hushed tone. "How could you let that happen? You could have gotten in so much trouble with the Muggle police!" What was Narcissa talking about?

"I know", Scorpius muttered and sighed.

"Scorpius, I can't always clean up _your_ mess. One day you and I will _both_ get caught! You can't just beat the hell out of anyone who offends you. You've got to use your words or you've got to learn to ignore", she lectured him. I realized she was talking about the incident that was the last memory I had before passing out, the parking lot…I felt sick to my stomach as I remembered it. I can't even think about it. "And how could you let the poor girl do that to herself?"

"I had no idea…I wasn't paying attention to her…" Scorpius said in a frustrated tone.

"If you hadn't been busy fighting with that boy…" She said angrily.

"What did you do with the two boys?" Scorpius asked worriedly.

Narcissa sighed. "I obliviated their memories and called emergency. The tall dark haired boy recognized, Rose. Do you happen to know who he is?" Isn't it illegal to perform magic on Muggles? How did Narcissa get away with it? And who could that boy have been. He recognized me and I knew he looked familiar…

"No, I've never seen him before. And he definitely doesn't go to Hogwarts", Scorpius said. Who could it be? After that was some silence for a while before I heard Narcissa sigh and bid goodbye to Scorpius and say that she's going home now. I opened my eyes very slightly to see Scorpius come towards me and sit on my bed. I shut my eyes again and felt Scorpius run his hand through my hair and play with the ends. I didn't like it. These are the same hands that have brutally hurt others. I felt his hand touch my face and his other hand take hold of mine. I couldn't take it anymore so I opened my eyes. Scorpius, startled, withdrew his hands almost immediately. "You scared me", he said.

"Scorpius, what are you doing?" I mumbled.

"N-Nothing", He quickly said. After a few seconds of silence, Scorpius sighed "Rose, are you okay? How's your thigh?" My thigh…My thigh doesn't hurt anymore!

"Your Mum placed some charms to ease the pain", Scorpius said quietly as if he read my thoughts. Scorpius sighed again and turned his head towards the window while I just examined his face. Neither of us said anything. I continued to stare at Scorpius; I had never noticed how angelic his demeanor is when he's with me, _only_ when he's with me. I brought my hands to touch his face and Scorpius turned to look at me, unsure. Why hadn't I noticed it before? This same face used to be my nightmare. It belonged to a monster but now I couldn't imagine what it would be like to not look at it and touch it and know that it's mine. Scorpius is mine. I touched his cheeks and then moved my hands to his eyes and his lips. Scorpius caught my hand in his and sighed again and whispered, "Rose, why did you have to do that?" Suddenly, I realized that this same face has become someone else's horrific nightmare, and I felt sick to my stomach again.

I sit up and rest my back against the headboard and look at him, confused for a second. "I-I had to", I say quietly as I remembered.

"No! You shouldn't have cut yourself!" He said as he toke hold of my hand again.

"I'm sorry", I mumbled, looking away.

"You have no idea how I felt when I saw you hurt and bleed. I wanted tear this earth apart and kill every single soul on it!"

I felt touched. I had never felt so important and loved before. I sighed again, "What did you tell my parents?" I ask him.

"I told them it was an accident. I, um, I made up some story about your leg getting caught in the door of the Ferris wheel or something. I-I didn't tell them the t-truth", He said unsure how I would react.

"That's fine. I didn't want them to know either", I say. We sit in silence again.

"Rose?" Scorpius finally says.

"Yes?" I say.

Scorpius takes hold of my hand, "Please don't ever do that again. You've got to promise you'll never do that again".

"I-I promise", I say with out thinking as I put my hands around his neck. Scorpius puts his hands on my waist and leans in and once again he buries his face in my neck, in the same spot, surprising me, and sighed. I didn't know what to do, he loved me so much but I couldn't forget what he had done. Just then, we hear a noise. My mum was standing at my doorway with a bowl of soup and cleared her throat to let us know she's here. Scorpius didn't really understand the message so I had to nudge him a little to get off me.

"Scorpius, you should go home", I whispered in his ear, after seeing the look on my Mum's face, it was one I had never seen before. Sort of disappointed, sort of relieved but mostly confused.

"Oh, um, okay", he said. My mum thanked him again for helping me and I said goodbye to Scorpius.

"Rose, I brought you some chicken soup", she said once Scorpius was gone.

"Thanks", I muttered as I took a sip of the soup.

Mum watched me in silence as I drank my soup. It was like she was trying to observe me, but I don't understand how me drinking chicken soup could be so interesting and informative. I could see from the corner of my eye that she opened her mouth a couple times to say something but stopped. Mum sighed and looked away and I didn't know what to make of it.

"He was here all night, you know?" She said. I didn't look up because I wasn't surprised. She remained quiet for a few minutes as she continued to watch me. "You never told me about Scorpius Malfoy, love", she said after the silence. More like a question though. I shrugged.

"What's there to tell", I shrugged again.

"I never knew you and him…" She said. I cocked an eyebrow at her, confused.

I sighed and looked at Mum in the eye, "Scorpius and I got to know each other during the end of the school year and now we're really close friends. Anything else?"

Mum looked surprised, "Oh, uh, no", she said, "nothing else".

…

My cut started to slowly heal over the next couple days. I felt much better but I still had so many questions in my head. I still had a hard time wrapping my head around the reality of Scorpius's state of mind. I still couldn't get the images of the bloodshed out of my head but I had to forget them because they only depressed me. I also had no idea what to make of the identity of the two boys. I tried hard to remember who the tall dark-haired boy was but the image in my mind was still blurry and as the days passed by it became even more unclear. I wanted to ask Scorpius about it many times but I didn't want to bring up that night again and Scorpius had said that he didn't recognize the boy. I was certain that boy didn't go to Hogwarts. Was he a muggle? He could've been from a different wizarding school. But he was drunk on the same drinks that people hardly touched at Eric's party, the muggle drinks. Besides, what would students from other wizarding schools be doing at the carnival?

I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind when I got a visit from my cousin Victoire one morning. She had come to give us our invitations and she brought a tailor along with her who took my measurements for my bridesmaid dress. I was beyond excited throughout the whole process. I had totally forgotten about Victoire's wedding over the past couple weeks. It was set on the second Saturday of August.

"I wanted to wait a few more weeks, ofcourse", Victoire said over a cup of tea with me and Mum. "I mean, we barely had any time to prepare. I wanted a big beautiful wedding with lots of people and of course we tried our best but it's obviously not going to be as amazing as it would have been if we had more time", Victoire rambled on and on happily about her wedding and I wondered what the hell Louis had been talking about that day when he said she was crying about something Teddy said. And speaking of Teddy, aren't he and Scorpius like second cousins or something? Does that mean Scorpius will be at the wedding? When I asked Victoire she said Narcissa Malfoy was definitely invited but she wasn't a hundred percent sure about her grandson. But if Scorpius said he and Teddy were close growing up or something, he must have been invited, but knowing Scorpius, I doubt he'd come.

Bonnie had visited me as well. I was surprised though, it's usually Emma who's always the first out of all my friends. Emma didn't even call. I had noticed myself to be drifting away from her lately. She's becoming closer with Priya, in fact, she's becoming more and more like Priya lately, which annoyed me. On the plus side though, I was becoming closer to Bonnie. Bonnie visited a few times, and when my leg was feeling better, we even hung out, just the two of us at the park. Bonnie told me everything Emma told her about me and Scorpius. She said she was sorry if I didn't want anyone to know. Once that was out of the way, we talked more comfortably and I told her all about Scorpius. I know it's kind of hypocritical of me but I was surprised by how supportive and understanding Bonnie is. I liked that she just listened. Unlike Emma, she didn't jump in and offer her own theories and ideas and opinions, some of which are often just plain stupid. Plus, I know it's insensitive of me but I was soon beginning to lose patience for Emma's immature issues, like Arielle Longbottom's bust size. Like come on, that's just so dumb. With Bonnie, I felt like I was talking to someone mature and someone who could understand what I'm trying to say. Bonnie and Louis are still not speaking to each other but on the plus side they're both handling it like mature adults. They're not fighting like children and spreading rumors or doing stupid things. Louis is very excited lately since Victoire's wedding's coming up and all. I guess that's a good distraction for him.

It's Wednesday afternoon and my thigh is considerably better since Mum used some potions from the apothecary in Diagon Alley rather than Muggle medicine to heal it. I was able to walk again in a mere three days and by today all that was left was a scar, and the remains of slight pain that comes back every time I walk down the stairs, but I've got a crutch for that. Mum and Dad aren't home during the day but Hugo's being really nice so he's always there to help as well. Like today, he helped me walk up the stairs to my bedroom when I was bored of watching television all morning. Rather than wasting my time with television, I decided it's about time I clean my room.

"Hugo, can you help me, please. Or I'll be cleaning till tomorrow?" I asked him.

"Why do you wait for all your mess to pile up, Rose?" He said standing at my doorway. I shrugged and Hugo sighed as he started picking up my clothes.

"Rose, if you'd just take two steps out of your room and throw these in the hamper, your room would be ten times cleaner", he lectured me. I rolled my eyes and just nodded while quietly listening to Hugo scold me the whole time.

"Thanks for the help", I just said.

"You're welcome", he mumbled before we silently continued to clean. "Rose! These old sneakers don't even fit you anymore", he said holding up my pink and yellow shoes that I lost at Al's house like four years ago.

I shrugged, "Haven't had time to clean out my room in a while".

"I can tell", He grumbled before moving over to my desk to put all my last year's school books away. Just then, we both stopped upon hearing the sound of the doorbell. It's the afternoon and Mum doesn't get home before six.

"Hugo, go get that", I ushered him. "It's probably Mum". Hugo ran out of the room to get the door while I tried to quickly put my things away. Mum will be so happy when she sees how clean my room is!

"Rose!" I heard Hugo call out from downstairs. "Guess who it is?"

"Who?" I call back as I try to lift my self. I close my room door to change out of my pajamas and quickly fix my bed sheets as I hear footsteps come upstairs. I hear a knock at my door so I rush to open it and then, to my surprise, is the familiar face that I love. "Ben!" I say excitedly as I limp over to hug him.

"Rose! What did you do, girl?" he asked looking at my crutch.

"Accident", I shrugged. My stomach felt uneasy at the thought of lying to Benny about my injury. I wanted to tell Ben the truth but what about Scorpius? I couldn't risk it. I can't get Scorpius into trouble.

"Seriously, Rose, what happened? How did you just cut your thigh like that?" He asked as he collapsed on my comfy bed and lounged like he did the last time he was here. I limped my way over to the bed and motioned for him to move over so I could sit. Ben sat up and crossed his legs to make room for me.

"I was just passing by and it got caught on something sharp", I said confidently. What's happening to me? I used to be a horrible liar; my face would give it away. Now, it's like I'm a natural.

"So how did it go with you and Eric?" Ben asked. "I saw you leaving with him". I sighed. I really don't want to think about Eric. He is such a let-down, a disappointment. I just want to forget him and everything that happened between us. "Not good?" Ben asked again upon seeing my expression at the mention of him.

"It's weird…and sort of complicated", I said trying to find better words to describe it.

"Why? How?" Ben asked with a more interested expression. I sighed again. I might as well tell him the whole thing so I did.

"Tell me the truth Ben", I insisted, "I know he's your friend and all but is Eric a player? I feel like he barely knows me, we're not even in a relationship and he want to get so physical".

"He's definitely not a player. I know that for sure", Ben assured me. Could he be helping his friend out or is he being sincere with me?

"I honestly don't even care anymore. I have way too much stress these days, I really don't need this", I said shaking my head. Ben gave me a smile, like he was happy. Happy that I have made up my mind I think.

"Rose, remember when you left that night with Eric?" Ben began.

"Yeah", I say cocking an eyebrow at him. I watch Ben get up and head towards my door.

"Close your eyes", He tells me.

"Benjamin, what—" I say almost hysterically.

"Just do it, Rose!" He clicks his tongue.

"Okay, okay", I agree. I'm still confused as to what he's doing. I hear my bedroom door open and close and I felt footsteps coming towards me. I didn't dare peek since I could tell he was standing in front of me and would get upset if I peeked. Just then I felt something fuzzy and plush in my lap.

"You can open your eyes now", he says excitedly, and I do.

"Oh my gosh, my snake!" I say looking at the prize that Scorpius had won at the carnival and given to me. "I completely forgot about this. Where did you find it? How did you know it was mine?"

"It somehow landed underneath the tree right next to the bench we were at that day. I remembered you said Malfoy won you that", He said beaming at me.

"I totally forgot about this. Thank you so much!" I say with glee. "It smells so clean".

"That's because I put it in the washer. I thought Malfoy might get mad at you for losing it so I brought it as soon as I could".

"Oh, Ben!" I hug him. He's so considerate and sweet. "To be honest though, Scorpius wouldn't even notice. And if he did, he'd be like 'oh well'" I laugh.

"How is it going with you and him by the way? Is he still slightly crazy?" Ben asks.

"He's not crazy", I say. "He's been through a lot". I tell Ben about Scorpius's mother leaving him and his father and grandfather physically abusing him, but I don't go into detail about him body building or drugs or anything.

"Wow", Ben gasps.

"I know and he's not a bad person. He really isn't. He's just never really had anyone who cares about him or loves him".

"It's sad his mum left him though", Ben agreed.

"I know, and I think he sort of craves a woman's love or something. Sometimes when I'm with him, I feel like he treats me like his caregiver or something. It's weird, I can't describe it".

"I think I know what you mean".

"That's why I was thinking you should talk to him and try to connect with him". Who better than Ben?

"Me?" He looks surprised.

"Yeah you. You can relate to him. You grew up without a mum", I said.

"But it's different, Rose, my mother died of Leukemia. His mum walked out on him. I still have happy memories of her from like nine years ago. He never even knew his mum".

"So? You can still relate to the fact that you both grew up without Mums", I insisted.

"Rose, my dad made Mickey and me the centre of his world. His dad only beat him. It'll just hurt him more if I try to relate to him".

"Fine whatever", I shrug showing my annoyance.

"Rose?" Ben said

"What?" I reply bitterly.

"Don't be like that", He insists. "All I'm trying to say is that he'll feel like I'm flaunting my family and my life in his face or something".

"I guess you're right", I sigh. It's weird. I haven't even heard from Scorpius in the past couple days and here I am still caring about him. I don't mind not seeing Scorpius for a while though. His actions on the night of the carnival are hard for me to forget and it's even harder for me to accept what I did. I don't even know how I feel about Scorpius. I know I've become the wonderful essence of his existence and I do care for him deeply and want to be in his life but I need time. I need to try and get back to normality with my life. But the problem with that is I'm never satisfied without my dose of the Scorpius drug. As much as I try, I can't be away from him. The way he makes me feel so special has become such a habit for me that now I feel empty without it.

Sometimes, I resent him, yet I feel more lost without him then he'll ever be without me.

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><p><strong>AN: Guys, I feel like I'm losing my touch. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you but when i finished writing it, i didn't feel the satisfaction i usually do. Please tell me your opinion about this and help me get back on track. 3 months is a long time. Also, I'm kind of running out of ideas so if you have any, i'd love to take them into consideration but just remember not to leave them in the review cause then they'll be public and i'll lose the element of surprise if i do decide to include your idea, so just pm me. Anyways sorry about the long wait and i must tell you the story some other time. Have a good one!**


	21. A Hazy Birthday Surprise

**A/N: Hi, guys, I'm back! Yay! I'm sorry I haven't updated since like summer of 2011, I'm in grade 12 so I've been so busy with school work and university applications. I've applied to the University of Toronto since it's an awesome school and in my city! So please keep your fingers crossed for me everyone! Finally, please forgive me for making you wait so many months, I sort of lost motivation but I had this one reviewer after so many months who wrote asking why the story is for adults when there's nothing really bad in it. Hahahaha, he/she also gave some his/her thoughts on it which I appreciated so much! To answer your question, it's because I really have no idea where this story is going in the long run so I'm prepared that anything could happen! Anyways, enough rambling, I'll let you get on with your reading. Have fun guys and please review and let me know what you think, it's really motivating for a writer to know someone's reading his/her work and care. Thanks everyone! **

I was beyond depressed during the beginning of the week. So depressed that I rarely ate, rarely came out of my room, threw up once and secretly cried like a moron hiding in my closet. Why? Well there could only be one reason. Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius didn't call me since that day when I woke up to him and his grandmother arguing. It's been a week and Scorpius can't go that long without talking to me or seeing me. I wanted to ask him so much about what she meant when she said they couldn't keep doing 'this' and who's the boy that recognized me? I also missed Scorpius. It was weird because Scorpius doesn't really have many qualities that make people miss him and want him but for some reason I did. I missed Scorpius and I really wanted him with me. Right now I wouldn't even care if he shoved me against the wall and started cussing at me. I just wanted to see him so much to know he still exists in my life. I wanted him to nuzzle his face in my neck again like he did that day... I don't know it's weird but it gives me a sense of his presence. Sometimes I can't even believe myself. I'm so dumb! Scorpius is supposed to be the crazy one here so why the hell am I the one who's obsessed? To make matters worse, my mum kept asking questions about him at breakfast this morning. It was so annoying; I was trying to eat my cereal and I kept choking from trying to swallow too fast so I could answer her questions like how long we've been friends and when we hang out and how come I never told her. Dad however just sat there looking like Mr. Scrooge since he didn't exactly like the idea of me associating with a Malfoy. Just because Scorpius's dad and him didn't get along like, I don't know, two decades ago, he's got a grudge. I actually didn't know this until I was eavesdropping on my parents' conversation a couple of days ago.

These past couple mornings however, I was rising and shining quite early for my standards. I didn't mind it though; I sort of liked getting a head start on my assault on Scorpius's voicemail. After four attempts while lying in my bed, I gave up and got up.

"Good morning, love", Mum greeted me as soon as I entered the kitchen. I gave her a big bear hug before getting my cereal and joining my parents at the table. "We were just waiting for you. Since Hugo's still asleep, I think it's the perfect time to talk about his birthday".

"His birthday? Isn't it like in a couple days...?" I stopped to count in my head. "Merlin, his birthday's on Saturday! Oh Mum we haven't organized anything! I wanted to throw him a party and everything".

"I know, I remember you talked to me about that a while ago. But you didn't say anything about it lately so I thought you didn't want to do it anymore", Mum sipped her coffee.

"Of course I still want to do something; I've just been so busy lately it slipped out of my mind" I whined to myself.

"That's alright, love. So I assumed you probably haven't got an idea yet so I've been thinking; how about a patio party? We can do it in the evening starting around five or six or something to maybe ten. It's perfect for summer!" Mum said putting her hands together excitedly.

"Uh, sure", I said since I don't exactly have a cherry to top hers.

"I love summer parties on the patio!" Mum squeaked.

"Mione, I think it's more important that Hugo likes 'summer parties on the patio'", Dad quoted her unsurely.

"I think he'll like it" I offered. "He doesn't like going over the top or anything like that so a summer party's good".

"Perfect! And make sure you invite lots of his friends dear, frankly I want to see him with more friends than just that Creevey boy", Mum sighed.

"Hermione, we can't just force him to be friends with other people. We just have to let him do whatever makes him comfortable", my dad rubbed her arm.

"Dad's right, Mum", I agreed with my father. "As long as he gets on well with everyone, he's kind and friendly and I think that's good enough".

"Perhaps you both are right. But still", she quickly added, "just invite a bunch of his classmates". I nodded. "And feel free to invite some of your friends as well. I think I'd like to see Scorpius Malfoy again, get to know him a little more".

I gulped. I have no idea why I did that. I have nothing to be afraid of but just the thought of him or hearing his name sends a shiver down my spine. Hearing someone else mention him reminds me he's still real and not just a pigment of my imagination. I guess I've become so used to him being my somewhat "secret" friend that I forgot he's just as real to others as he is to me. And to add his ignorance to the mix really does make me question the reality of it all.

"I-I guess I could try…and see if he'll come", I tried to say. All of a sudden I felt my Mum and Dad exchange looks and suddenly look at me. Not quite like staring but more like interpreting or examining. I had never felt so foreign in my own skin.

"So, Rose", Mum began, "judging by how much time you two spend together, honestly, I'm a bit surprised not to see him here for quite a while", she said more like a question.

"H-He's busy, I think", I choked out. _Come on think, Rose_.

"Doing what?" Mum pried some more but I saw Dad touch her arm as if signaling to hold back or something.

"I don't know; he doesn't consult me every time he has to do something", I almost snapped. Almost.

"Okay, I was just asking".

"Okay".

"Okay".

"Okay so can I go now?"

"Of course you can!"

…

To be honest, I was mainly confused by it all. After lunch, I tried to start a list of guests for Hugo's party but after I had written down the Creevey twins' name, my mind kept wandering back to this morning at breakfast. Mum and Dad had this sort of look that they exchanged, like they were trying to see how I would react to the mentioning of Scorpius. What did that mean? Had they caught on? Impossible…but they surely suspected something I know that. And even if they did know something then my main focus should be finding out exactly what they have made of everything and how much they know. I mean, it is a possibility that they may have assumed something totally opposite from the truth. But exactly what is the truth? What are Scorpius and I? This has become sort of a bother for me lately; figuring out my relationship with Scorpius. I mean if I said were just really good friends, then I should just take off my shoe and beat my own head with it. Sometimes, we can't be without each other—well at least one of us—and other times we're total strangers. I mean we've grown so close, to the extent that he's ready to risk the world for me and on the other hand I only just found out he doesn't have a mum but on the plus side he has his own _cottage_! It's bizarre!

I decided I would try calling him later and I just remembered I have his grandmother's number in my phone from the time she called me when he had a car accident a while ago. I would just call her. In the mean time, I should probably just get on with the list. I added some more people from Hugo's year like Jenna Peakes and Derek Boot and Shane Summerby. I've seen him sitting in groups with these people. I had always wondered if my brother was adopted or something. He and I are completely different. He's shy and innocent while I'm sort of loud and outgoing. Hugo's almost fourteen years old and he hasn't even held a girl's hand let alone have his first kiss. Mum says he's just not as outgoing and he'll take some time and dad doesn't give much thought to it. I don't know why I worry so much. I guess I'm not worrying; I guess I just find it peculiar how different we are.

So back to the list, I've got about five kids right now including Lily. That reminds me, I could invite Al. I'll probably invite Louis as well and Ben. And I want to invite Bonnie but how do I invite her and Louis both? I mean I don't expect them to start fighting or anything; they are quite mature. I just want everything to be perfect. I guess I could just tackle this problem later; I have to get a hold of Scorpius. I tried his number again and again until I just gave up and contemplated whether I should just call Narcissa. She kind of creep's me out, especially after that stuff I heard the other day about her obliviating those two muggles' mind. I decided to call her in a split spontaneous second, but I regretted it by the third ring.

"Hello", I heard her say.

"Uh, hello, uh is this Scorpius's grandmother? It's Rose", I nervously said.

"Oh hello, Rose! Yes this is she. How are you?"

"Oh, um, I'm doing well thanks, I was just wondering where Scorpius is. I can't seem to get a hold of him", I asked.

"Oh…" she takes a deep breath. "Rose, Scorpius is…well…he's taking some time off".

"Taking some time off?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yes, he'll be away for some time to figure some things out", she told me. I was shocked. Where could he be? What does he have to figure out and why didn't he tell me?

"Well, could you, um, tell me where he is please? Or at least give me some contact information", I asked her as I fidgeted with my fingers.

"Don't worry, dear, he'll be back soon. He'll tell you all about it, I'm sure", she said casually which I think is so weird considering the topic at hand.

"Well can I know when he'll be back?" I asked bordering an annoyed tone.

"A couple of days, dear. I know you're friends and it's great that you care about him but don't worry, he's alright and he'll be back soon. Now I've got to go but thank you for calling", and with that she hung up, not even giving me the chance to ask another question. What the hell, what a weird old lady!

On Thursday afternoon while Hugo went out for groceries with Mum, I made a quick call to Lily and with her help; we concluded the guest list of Hugo's surprise party. So far, I've got six of his friends, Lily and Al. I want to invite Louis too but I want to invite Bonnie as well but I don't want to make it a long night for anyone. Emma and Priya I don't care much about anymore, I'm through with them. It started when I was on my computer the other day when I got a call from Priya…

"_Hi, Rose! I totally heard about Malfoy, oh my god, did he like _beat_ you?"_

"_WHAT! What the _fuck_ are you talking about?" I asked her bewildered. Scorpius beat me? Where in the world did she get that from? _

"_Oh my god, Emma like totally told me he like hit you and pushed you around and stuff. Oh you poor thing! When did you start talking to him anyway?" She asked me with, of all things, excitement._

"_Priya, I have no idea what Emma told you, but it's not true. Scorpius and I are friends, really good friends and he did not hurt me! I don't know why she would tell you that but she's lying", I said. I don't even recall telling Emma about Scorpius's temper or his tendency to get violent. "She's talking out of her ass"._

"_So is it true he's like really rich but his dad's a dick?" She asked. "Oh my god, does he do those muggle drugs, those are the worst. Where can you get them from?"_

"_Priya! For your information, Scorpius does not do drugs anymore and his relationship with his dad is his own business", I told her sternly._

"_Okay fine", she snorted, "Rose, Do you have the hots for Mental-Malfoy?" _

…And that's when I slammed the phone down and hung up on her. Mental-Malfoy? How dare she call him that? After that, I called Emma right away and bitched at her about being a big-mouthed, lifeless, two-faced, attention seeking, immature, _pathetic_ little loser who I'm better off without. I didn't even wait for her response, I just hung up after I said what I had to and that was the end of it. I spent an hour lying on my bed with my face buried in my pillow and cried. I cried because my friends betrayed me, to them this was nothing more than a joke. I cried because Scorpius wouldn't call me and I cried because I had never felt so alone in all my life. After having so many loved ones, I felt completely unwanted because Scorpius was ignoring me. I couldn't tell anyone about anything from that first day at SCSY to the carnival and everything in between; Scorpius could even get in trouble with the laws, muggle and wizarding. Grown-ups were completely out of the question. Al had already warned me and would go straight to my parents if I told him anything, Bonnie and Louis would only tell me to stop seeing him and I really don't want to listen to that and Ben, well I really have no idea what he would do but I'm afraid he might tell Al. Or maybe he'd just lecture me...In any case, I could not have my parents find out, they'd never understand and they wouldn't let me see Scorpius. But what's the point anymore? He doesn't even want to talk to me anymore. I'm pretty sure his grandmother was just making excuses for him. Then again, there isn't much I could do except wait it out. And at least I still have Hugo's par—Hugo! I had never thought of him! I could tell Hugo. Hugo is calm person and he's my own brother and he was the first one who saw me depressed after Scorpius yelled at me for the first time. Hugo would never betray me but I don't want to burden him with this on his birthday. Maybe after I could tell him a little, to get some of the weight off my chest. Even though he's my brother, I know Hugo wouldn't go to my parents because he knows their nature just as well as I do.

…

"Okay, Mum, I've called all of Hugo's friends and they said they can make it which is fortunate for us since we gave the invitation on such short notice", I told my Mum as we both lounged on the sofa that evening after dinner while my Dad and Hugo visited some neighbor who was in an accident or something.

"Great! Are you going o invite your friends too", my mum asked.

"Yeah I am, just Ben and Al and maybe Louis and Bonnie", I told her.

"Well how about Emma and Priya? They're your best friends", she asked. I decided to be honest with my mum, to some extent of course.

"I don't talk to them anymore, Mum. I told Emma a secret and she blabbed to Priya and Bonnie and Priya made fun of me".

Mum's head jerked towards me almost immediately, "What was the secret?"

"A secret, mum, I can't tell you", I smiled at her to keep it all casual.

"Why not, Rose, I'm you mother", She whined.

"That's exactly why!" I winked at her and hopped off to my room. I was glad at what I just did, instead of being broody all the time, I tried to be happy a little and in all honesty, it felt kind of nice. Now I had to call Ben and complain to him about my stupid so-called friends and invite him for Saturday.

I plopped on my bed. "Come on Ben pick up", I muttered to myself after dialing twice and to my surprise he did pick up right as I was about to finish my sentence.

"I did", he joked.

"Hi, it's Rose", I said.

"Yes I know, your picture shows up on my phone every time you call", he laughed.

"What's up, whatcha doin'", I said in an attempted American accent. Wow I just had Déjà vu, like I've heard a voice like that before.

"Not much, just cleaning my car, it's beyond dirty and I have to take it for service tomorrow, get everything checked out and all", he said.

"You should have told me if you wanted help…I would have sent Hugo", I joked.

"Ha…ha, you are so funny", he said sarcastically. "You don't clean? What are you, the Duchess of Wales or something?"

"I wish!" I laughed. "So what's new?"

"Um, not much around here, my dad's muggle girlfriend thinks we're weird because we have random 'sticks' around the house and a bunch of pet owls".

I laughed, "She doesn't know? Why doesn't your dad just tell her? They've been going out for months."

"I don't know, it's weird. I think my dad knows he's going to break up with her. I don't know why he does that with all his girlfriends. Sometimes he just seems so depressed like he's trying to find my mum".

"That is so sad", I said quietly. Mr. Sloper absolutely adored his wife. I wonder if I die, Scorpius would become depressed even after many years. I wonder if he'd try to find someone like me…It doesn't even matter, I mean I don't even know why my mind always goes back to Scorpius, it's not like he's my _husband_.

Ben sighed, "Yeah, but what can you do. I'm kind of glad though, her daughters were weird!"

"Why?" my ears perked up.

"One was fourteen or fifteen, I don't remember and the other was thirteen. They got really weird with me".

"How?" I demanded.

"I don't know, the older one got so flirty and it was so awkward", he said slowly as if trying to remember.

"She was flirting with you?" I almost yelled. "Did you flirt back? Did you like her? Was she pretty?"

"Calm yourself, missy. No I didn't flirt because A, she's younger, and B, she was a potential step-sister and I don't like her that way because I'm not a pedophile and C, I guess she was kind of pretty, she was okay".

"Okay? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean she was okay looking, sort of pretty I guess", He said again.

"You think she's pretty? God, Ben, make up your mind. You just said she was okay and now you're saying she's' pretty? Jeez!"

"Rose, why are you getting so worked up?" he asked a bit astounded.

"I'm not getting worked up! Oh my gosh, Ben, you're so annoying and weird!" I said angrily.

"Are you on your period, I hate talking to you when you're on your period".

"Ben!" I exclaimed then sighed. "Ben, have you ever thought about your future, where're you going to end up, who are you going to end up with?"

"Is this a trick question?"

"Ben, just answer it", I clicked my tongue.

"Yeah I think about that stuff, kind of, well I sort of have to think about my career now 'cause I'm a senior student. I don't know what I want to be though; auror, professional quidditch player or even a businessman in the muggle world like my dad".

"I don't mean career. Have you ever thought about who you're going to marry?"

"What!" He burst out laughing. "Rose, are you in desperate need of a boyfriend?"

"NO! I hate boys! They're so stupid".

Ben sighed, "Are we talking about Eric here?" Eric? I was actually leaning more towards Scorpius.

"Scorpius didn't call me", I said quietly.

"Who? Malfoy?"

"Ben, who else in this world do you know is called _Scorpius?_"

"True, why did they ever decide to call him Scorpius anyway? It sounds like scorpion".

"I don't know, Ben. Why don't you just call the Malfoys and ask them. 'Excuse me, I was just wondering what was going through your mind seventeen years ago when a blond-haired, psycho baby popped out and you decided to call it Scorpius Hyperion?'"

Ben burst out laughing. "His middle name is Hyperion? Wow. Okay, okay I'm sorry. Now tell me, why are we hating on Scorpius Hyperion?" he snorted at the last part.

"Ben, be serious, we're not hating, we're mad at him because he's ignoring me after he hugs me and tells me how much he cares about me", I sighed.

"Why'd he hug you?" Ben asked.

"To show how much he cares about me. God, Ben weren't you listening to what I just said. And I called his house and his grandmother told me he's busy with some things and will get back to me shortly. Now what's that supposed to mean?" I whined.

"It means he's busy with some things and will get back to you shortly. Just leave him be for a while, Rose. He's had it tough and maybe he just needs some time for himself", Ben suggested.

"But I miss him" I whined.

Ben sighed, "You have other friends, Rose".

"No, I don't. Not anymore, well except for Bonnie".

"Why, had a fight or something?"

"Sort of, not exactly, Emma and Priya just don't understand anything. They don't try to either; everything's such a joke to them".

"I see. Well you still have Bonnie so I guess that's good. Oh and you can't forget me, you still have me, the most awesome guy in the world", he joked. I just chuckled. "So guess who came over the other day?"

"Who?"

"Eric. He wanted to talk about you".

"Me?" I said surprised.

"Yeah. He likes you but I told him you're just not the type to just screw around with guys. He totally understood and he wants to ask you out. And he said you've gotten beyond pretty this summer, like prettiest in your year".

"What!" I said excitedly. Eric thinks I'm beyond pretty? "He wants to go out; oh my. Did he actually say I'm the prettiest in my year or are you just making that up?"

"I'm not making it up", Ben chuckled. "I think he's right, you've changed a lot this summer".

"So you're saying I was ugly before?" I said in a fake offended tone.

"No!" Ben quickly denied. "You've always been beautiful, but you've become a lot more mature. And you're a lot more patient and less self centered, unless you're PMS-ing. No offense of course, I'm just being honest".

"None, taken, don't worry. My parents think so too, but they also think I'm emo as well", I joked.

"Parents are just weird".

"So, Ben…you think I've always been beautiful?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah of course, I think", he said unsure. "So what have you thought about Eric?" I could tell he was trying to change the subject.

"Uh, maybe, if he comes to me with a very good proposal to go steady. If he just says 'hey, Rose, if I ask you to be my girlfriend, will you give me some', then unfortunately I'll have to hit him".

"He's not going to, Rose! I don't know why you've got this idea that Eric's a sex-obsessed perv or something, he's pretty nice and very cool". I decided to drop it, I didn't want to explain it right now and I'm sure Ben probably doesn't want to hear it about his best friend…Or maybe Ben is right, maybe I am overreacting.

"So, Ben, I just remembered why I called you. I wanted to ask you if you want to come to my house on Saturday for Hugo's surprise party for his fourteenth."

"Hugo's turning fourteen? Time flies. Sure, I'll come. I could come by early and help out if you want?"

"Sure! That would be great", I said even though I know he probably wouldn't help out but rather just watch TV and munch from the food. After that, Ben told me a little about his NEWT courses and invited me to join him on his trip to Diagon Alley on Sunday to go school shopping. Our book lists were going to arrive tomorrow as well as our schedules so we know what classes we have and when. I also asked Ben's opinion about invited both Bonnie and Louis. He thinks I'm over-thinking it and it shouldn't really be a big deal. I sort of agreed.

Once I finish talking to Ben, I go downstairs to the kitchen to grab a snack and suddenly my cell phone rings. I look down to see the caller ID and my heart skips a beat. I quickly receive the call.

"Hello, Scorpius?" I practically yell.

"Rose…Is that you…?" He says in a weird voice that I don't recognize. It sounded like he just woke up.

"Scorpius where have you been, I've been trying to call you for days but you wouldn't pick up! Scorpius, what's going on, you have to tell me!" I demanded.

"Rose, why are you calling me so much, are you dying or something?" He said rudely. Lovely, I have my Scorpius back.

"I've been worried about you", I say.

"Yes I know, you call me forty-seven times a day", he said sarcastically.

Why is he being so mean? "Well, where are you, I want to see you".

Scorpius sighed, "Listen, I can't talk much right now but be ready at four on Saturday, I'm picking you up".

"But I can't".

"Why not?" he snarled.

"Because it's Hugo's birthday".

"So?"

"So, I can't come, his party starts at five and I'm organizing everything. Would you like to come, by the way?"

"NO! Why can't you just take half an hour out of your day for me? God, Rose, you are so _selfish_!"

"Scorpius, it's my little brother's birthday, I really want to make it perfect for him! I'm sorry if that counts as selfish!" I yelled back.

"Now I know how important I am to you!"

"Scorpius, stop getting emotional, okay. How about Sunday?" I suggest as I calm myself. God he can be so arrogant.

"No, I never want to see your face again!"

"Scorpius, grow up", I sigh sadly. No matter how much are try, all my efforts go to waste.

"Grow up? Don't tell me to grow up! I have to tell you something that could possibly change our life and you don't even care!"

What the hell. What's he talking about? "Change our lives?"

"That's what I said", he snarled again.

"Okay, you know what. Why don't you come by on Saturday before the party starts, we'll get some privacy so we can talk. Besides my parents want to see you again".

"Why?"

"I don't know. So will you come?"

"Fine", he said. We both sighed but neither of said anything for a moment until Scorpius spoke, "I really miss you". And with that he hung up without giving me the chance to tell him how much I've missed him but how much he hurts me every time he's so mean.

…

On Saturday, I got up bright and early. My mum and dad took Hugo out to the mall so he could choose presents for himself while I prepared for the party. Mum had lent me her wand so I could use magic to help me. Around lunchtime, Bonnie appeared in my fireplace ready to help out.

"Rose, what can I do?" She asked me.

"Have you had lunch yet?"

"No".

"Let's have lunch first", I suggested and we both helped ourselves to some of the food my mum made for tonight, she made extra for us.

"Thanks for your help Bonnie, I'm going to need it", I said as I thought of Scorpius. I had been so distracted since Thursday evening when Scorpius said he had some news that could potentially change our lives. What could it be? His maybe, but what could possibly change _my_ life? Whatever it is, I don't want it to happen, I don't want my life to change! I hated Scorpius more than anything today because his decision to tell me this was distracting me from my birthday plans. Plus it was giving me a headache just trying to think of what he wants to tell me.

"That's what friends are fore. So when's Ben arriving?" She asked as we took a seat on the kitchen table and had some potato salad.

"He's coming a bit later. I don't want him around right now because he gets in the way of everything and just makes a mess", I chuckled.

Bonnie giggled weirdly, "Yeah, he's adorable that way. I remember we tried to surprise you on your birthday last May and we tried to decorate the room of requirement with Ben's help. It was such a fail, he kept popping the balloons by accident, got tangled in the streamers and knocked over a bowl of chips". I burst out laughing. "It was so cute", Bonnie sighed.

"Speaking of streamers, we have to decorate the patio and deck. I guess we could just hang them around the railings and on the fence or something", I said.

"And did you get the helium balloons, Rosie?"

"Yup!" I said proudly. "They're hidden in my closet". Once we finished eating, both of us went outside to the backyard and began to work.

"So, are you sure you're okay with Louis being here as well tonight?" I asked her while I arranged the folding tables and chairs and she hung the streamers.

"Yes, Rose", Bonnie sighed in annoyance. "It's fine. I don't really even care anymore", she shrugged. "Besides, it's been a month; I doubt he still likes me".

"Oh, you'd be surprised. I asked him too, though. He said he still likes you but he's going to treat you like a friend from now on and pretend nothing happened".

"Well that's good. I mean I did actually like him but I don't think it'll work out because of what happened. It's such a turn-off for both of us. Know what I mean?"

"Uh huh. But honestly, time heals everything. I'm sure after some time passes by, if you two still want to give it another shot, it'll be much easier".

"Yeah, I completely agree. So how about you? Do you still like Eric?"

"I have no idea to be honest. Ben told me he wants an actual relationship with me and wants to ask me out".

"Well isn't that what you wanted?"

"I did but I don't know anymore", I shrugged while putting the chairs out. Eric used to mean so much to me but now, my life has so much stress that he's not even a priority anymore. I can't even think straight about anything anymore now that Scorpius is consuming my brain. What does he want to tell me? I've been thinking about it all morning.

"Well, I just finished one side, how does it look Rose?" Bonnie asked as she stood back to admire her work. I gave a thumbs up. "Okay back to Eric. I think you should give him a chance".

I shrugged, "I don't even know if he's important to me anymore". Maybe Scorpius wants to tell me something about his family. Maybe they're going away. Or maybe it's about himself. I hope he's not going to tell me that he's rekindling his romance with substance abuse because that would just devastate me.

"Rose, what's up with you?" I look up to see Bonnie standing next to me. "You seem like you're lost in some other land".

"Yeah, I've just been a little distracted", I say.

"Talk to me, Rose, what's gotten you so distracted?" She asked.

"Scorpius. He's coming by today and he needs to tell me something important. He made it sound so serious. He said it could change our lives".

"Wow, that sounds a bit dramatic".

"Well, he is very good at that", I rolled my eyes.

"What could he possibly say that could change _your_ life?"

"I know! That's exactly what I thought. I invited him over today to talk, he's going to be here in a bit. I'm so nervous, Bonnie".

"Don't be nervous, Rose. I'm sure it's just Malfoy being a PMS-y drama queen again", she said making me snort a little.

"Hopefully".

"But I hope you know Rose, when a guy says he has some news that could change his and your life, it's usually one of the two. Either he just discovered he's gay or he just discovered he's the biological father of some random chick's baby".

I huffed, "I hope you know this is Scorpius we're talking about. He'd probably have to use the imperious curse or drug the chick for her to agree to sleep with him". Bonnie burst out laughing. "I'm serious, I bet if a girl ever hit's on Scorpius, he'd probably tell her she's ugly and should just go die in a hole".

"So maybe he's into guys?" Bonnie suggested half jokingly.

"That could actually be true", I said even though it created a knot in my stomach. But it could be true. My mind wandered back to that night after the Carnival when Scorpius embraced me. "I mean, he's gets really physical with me and straight guys don't usually go that far with their female friends".

Bonnie stared at me for a second before raising a brow. "Maybe he's into _you_".

Huh? Yes, yes, I should just write a note on my forehead to let the world know they're welcome to throw ideas at me that could potentially give me a brain hemorrhage. As if my headache wasn't painful enough, Bonnie had to throw at me the possibility that Scorpius might be 'into me'. Great, as if I didn't have enough to ponder about. But could it be true? Of course not, Scorpius is not like other guys, he doesn't work that way.

Around three o'clock, I cleaned up a bit and got dressed. I decided to wear a short, pastel turquoise and white sundress and let my wavy hair down in their most natural form. The food had just arrived and Bonnie was putting it in the oven to keep it warm. I went downstairs and to my delight, all the preparations looked wonderful.

"I'll go upstairs and get dressed now", Bonnie said.

"Sure! Scorpius should be here anytime soon", I said.

"Don't fret over it too much Rose, I'm sure he's just exaggerating", She chuckled. I prayed to myself hoping she's right.

While I waited for Scorpius to show up, I thought to call Eric and ask him if he'd like to come tonight. I debated in my head whether I should or not. I know he wants to ask me out but I want him to come to me. He still hasn't called yet and I thought he would by now. I don't want to tell Bonnie my idea or she'd try to cook up a plan to get us together regardless of my disapproval. Maybe when Ben comes by I'll ask him to nudge Eric a little. Ben probably already thinks I'm desperate, I'd just confirm that. I was also becoming increasingly aggravated because Scorpius was almost an hour late. I sat down to watch some television with Bonnie who was already down and wondering why Scorpius still hasn't come yet. I had no idea what to say. Around four, the doorbell rang and I jumped up from my seat.

"Bonnie, go upstairs", I rushed her since I know Scorpius would get mad if I told him someone else is here as well. He's very secretive that way. I fixed my dress and opened the door once Bonnie was out of view.

"Ben?"

"Afternoon, sunshine! Why the long face? Not happy to see me?"

"Of course not", I smiled even though I was sort of disappointed that it wasn't Scorpius. Just then Bonnie, who must have heard Ben's voice, also marched downstairs to greet him.

"Hi, Benny", she sung his name.

"Hi, Bonnie, what's good?" Ben turned to me, "Rose, you look nice today". He handed me Hugo's present and I put it on the table with mine and Bonnie's.

"Thanks", I muttered shyly as the two of us led Ben into the patio to show him our hard work.

"It looks good, girls, I'm proud of you".

"Thanks, Ben, you know your approval means the world to us", I rolled my eyes.

Half an hour after Ben, Albus and Lily arrived. "Rose, I cancelled on Arielle today just for you!" Albus hollered as soon as he entered. I saw Lily, who was carrying a huge gift box, grunt. "See, Rose, how much I love you and care about you".

"Hello there, Albus, glad you could make it!" I said sarcastically.

After Albus arrived, I received a call from Louis who had supposedly come down with the stomach flu or something. But still no sign of Scorpius. It was a bit after five and I was becoming more restless when Hugo's friends started showing up but Scorpius wouldn't. I tried calling him many times and left messages telling him that I guess we can't talk anymore because I'm busy now. I didn't want everyone at my house to know I was waiting for him but my friends started noticing my snappy mood. Bonnie pulled me aside then and told me to just leave it and I've already left messages and there isn't anything more I can do except wait. It's easy for her to say; she's not the one whose life could 'change'.

"When's Hugo going to arrive, I have a special present for him!" Colin Creevey came up to me.

"My parents will be bringing him shortly", I looked down at my watch. "Okay everyone! Let's all go to the patio now and hide, Hugo should be coming soon".

"Rose, where are we going to hide out in your backyard?" Ben spoke, "Let's just surprise him here in the sitting room and then take him out into the backyard".

"Ben's right, Rose", Bonnie agreed. "There are more hiding spots here, like behind the sofa and the TV unit, someone could go behind the island counter in the kitchen as well".

"Okay, fine we can do that". I turned to Hugo's friends, "Okay, everyone, find a hiding spot here". I sighed.

"What's wrong, Rose", Al, who had noticed, asked.

"Nothing, just got some stuff on my mind", I muttered as I followed him behind the sofa.

"Is it about Scorpius?"

I stared at Al, "How did y-".

Al smiled cheekily, "I know a lot more about you than you think, you know". He nudged me playfully.

I looked around to see most of Hugo's friends; Colin and Carrie, Jenna Peakes, and Joel Martin, and two Ravenclaws hiding in different places. I saw Lily trying to squeeze herself near Colin while batting her eyelashes at him. I snorted at how uncomfortable the poor boy looked. I also saw Bonnie and Ben squished together in the very corner of the room right between the wall and the other sofa.

"Bonnie! Shh!" I scolded her when I heard her giggling and whispering.

"Sorry, that was me", Ben whispered in her defense. I huffed and got a look from Albus.

"They're being so loud", I snapped.

Albus sighed, "Rose, what's—".

Suddenly, everyone in the room became silent as we heard a key turning in the front door. Excitement immediately replaced my snappy mood. The room was dead silent as we heard the door open and Hugo's voice.

"Hugo, do you like your new things?" We heard my dad ask.

"I do! I'm going to go upstairs and show Rose!"

"Wait!" I heard my mum almost panic. "I was thinking we should sit for a bit. You know, rest , we've been out for a while".

"Let me just go upstairs and change into my pajamas", Hugo said. I almost slapped my hand to my forehead. God he is so difficult to surprise, why can't he just forget about going upstairs and come into the family room/kitchen area?

"Hugo, we have to, uh, talk to you", I heard my Dad's voice.

"Okay". Finally we heard footsteps coming toward the family room.

I heard Hugo's voice again from my hiding spot and signaled everyone, "What did you have to ta—".

"SURPRISE!" I jumped up first.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone else shouted. It was a fail, totally not synched.

"Oh my god!" Hugo yelled.

"Happy Birthday, Hugo!" everyone wished him.

"Wow!" Hugo gasped as he came over to hug me.

"You're fourteen, Hugo!" Ben said.

"Ben!" Bonnie punched him playfully on the arm, "He knows!"

"Happy Birthday, Hugo, you're finally fourteen like the rest of us", Lily hugged him.

Hugo looked overwhelmed throughout the whole thing, I could tell by how his responses were limited but he had a gleam in his eye.

"Happy Birthday, mate!" Collin came up to him with a small box. "Don't open it now", He winked.

After everyone patted him on the back and hugged him and wished him a happy birthday, we all went out to the patio in the backyard. My parents had been really understanding and decided to go out for the evening leaving me and Bonnie in charge.

"Since when did Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione become so cool?" Albus asked me as we helped ourselves to some pizza and French fries.

"I'm hoping someone could answer that question for me because I really have no idea", I chuckled.

"So Rose, I heard Eric wants to ask you out", Al said to me.

"Who did you hear from?" I asked genuinely curious.

"James who heard from Eric himself. Apparently, he asked James' opinion. He's really double minded…"

"Wow, that just sounds like he's not crazy about me", I said a bit disappointed.

"He's nervous but I understand what you're saying. But you know, I was double minded about Arielle because she's a year younger and she's Uncle Neville's daughter and I'm totally obsessed with her".

"So?"

"Maybe he feels the same way, you're a year younger than him and you're our cousin".

"I used to be so obsessed with him. If you had told me this a month ago, I would have gotten so excited and emotional and it would've mattered so much more to me but now it's just meh, like I don't really care that much anymore".

"I know, I know you, Rose. And I understand what you're saying but trust me, if he was to come sweep you off your feet right at this very moment, you would let him".

I blushed, "Maybe…" I looked around and saw Hugo sitting with his friends; laughing and talking. I felt happy for him. I also saw Ben and Bonnie sitting with them as well. "Let's go join them", I pull Al along.

For the next two hours, Hugo's friends, my friends and the two us sat around having fun. I discovered that little Joel Martin has a tiny crush on Bonnie which is quite cute but kind of sad. I also discovered that most of Hugo's friends are decent kids, which makes me happy. I tried to enjoy myself and participate in a game of charades but my mind kept wandering back to why Scorpius hadn't shown up yet. To be honest, I was quite worried because he wasn't receiving any of my calls either. I couldn't really do anything except wait for him to call me so I then decided to enjoy the night.

"Guys, I think we should open presents", I suggested.

"Yeah, let's do that!" Lily excitedly agreed. Everyone got up to get their presents except for Collin who I think had already given his. "Open ours first", Lily said excitedly as Al handed it to him.

"I wonder what it is…" Hugo said as he neatly pulled away the packaging.

"Hugo, just rip it", One of his Ravenclaw friends, Derek Boot, said.

He finally managed to get the packaging off. "Oh crap! It's the Chudley Cannons collector's edition quidditch accessories! Thank you so much, guys, this is awesome", Hugo cried out as he practically jumped on Al and Lily.

"We know you're obsessed with the Cannons so we thought you deserve something like this".

"Open mine now, cutie!" Bonnie handed him a package.

"Okay", Hugo blushed. I wonder why all the younger boys always blush when Bonnie talks to them. "Oh…a book! It's g-great!"

Bonnie sighed and slapped her hand to her forehead. "It's not just a book, silly. I wouldn't give you a _book_ for your birthday. Turn it over".

"Oh", Hugo laughed as he turned the book over and read the title, "'Teenage Troll's Guide to Dating'. Uh, thanks Bonnie".

"No problem, Sweetie! I thought now that you're fourteen you might develop an interest in girls and dating so it would come in handy".

"Nice, Bonnie", Ben snorted, earning a whack on the back of his head from her.

I looked down at my watch and saw that it was half past seven. "Guys, I'll be right back!" I said as I got up to go get the cake from the kitchen while everyone was outside. I opened the fridge and took out the cake. As I was putting it on the counter, the doorbell rang. I quickly ran to go get it.

"Scorpius!" I said upon seeing him.

"R-Roseee?"

I stared at him, Scorpius's eyes looked a bit blurry and he had the haziest expression. "Scorpius what is wrong with you?" I said as I stepped out on to the front porch and closed the front door behind me hoping no one could hear or see us.

"You s-said there was a-a-a, what was it again? A party? Yeah, yeah I'm here".

"Scorpius, are you…are you _drunk_?" I stepped closer to him, his breath reeked of alcohol.

"Nahhh, I just had some champagne, a bottle, no two…or was it three…can't really remember" He said, talking to himself more than me.

"Oh my god, Scorpius! You're underage! How could you just-just…" I couldn't believe it! I had tried so hard to keep him away from his old ways and now, he stood here on my front porch in the middle of my little brother's birthday party, _drunk_.

"Fuck off! I only had two…or three…how many was it?"

"Scorpius!" I gasped at his rudeness. "How did you get here anyways? Please don't tell me you _drove_".

"I like driving, you kn—you know when the car goes vroom vroom, y-yeah, I like that…"

"Scorpius, I can't believe you would show up to my little brother's birthday party like this!" I yelled at him.

"What the fuck's your problem, huh? Got an iron pole up your ass or something…" Scorpius plopped down on the bench on our front porch. "Sit next to me, Rose", I said patting the seat next to him.

"No! I can't believe you Scorpius! After everything we've been through? I thought—I thought maybe—I thought maybe you really did change for the better! I thought you wouldn't go back!"

"Back where? I'm right here, Rosieee…you need to shut the fuck up before I-I punch your fucking face out!"

"Scorpius!" I gasped. Tears filled up my eyes as I stared at him in shock and disgust.

"Rose…" Scorpius looked at me as his face softened and he tried to get up. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know what the fuck I was saying, I'm stupid! I'm and idiot!" He hit his head against the brick wall.

"Scorpius, don't do that!" I said as I saw some redness and scratches.

"No! I'm horrible, I get it!" Scorpius turned around to stagger towards his car.

"Scorpius, wait!" I went after him. "I can't let you go like this! You can't drive, it's not safe, you could get into an accident".

"Been there, done that", he chuckled.

"You, need to sleep it off", I pulled his arm. "Come with me, I'll take you to my room". Scorpius let me pull him along until suddenly he yanked my arm and pulled me towards him.

"S-Scorpius, what are you d-doing?" I stammered as he wrapped big arms around my small waist.

"You smell so good…" He said as he gently touched his nose to my neck and collar bone area.

I stood there, limp and shocked. "Scorpius, stop it", I said in a small voice. I felt weird and uncomfortable as he rubbed his nose and touched his lips all over me.

Scorpius groaned, "Rose, you feel so…" I tried to push him off a little but he only pulled me in closer and I felt him sigh with his face buries in my neck, like a deep growl coming from the inside, and I was freaked out.

"Scorpius!" I shoved him off really hard.

"Huh?" He said looked at me.

"You need to sleep", I said stiffly as I just pulled him upstairs quietly before anyone comes inside. I helped him onto my bed and watched as he struggled with his shoes and the buttons of his shirt. "Here, let me help you", I said. I could feel Scorpius gaze on me as I pulled his shoes off and unbuttoned his nice shirt.

"Rose?" He said.

"Hmm?"

"Are you mad at me?" He asked like a little child talking to his disappointed mother.

"No…well kind of", I said truthfully.

"I said I was sorry", he whined.

"Scorpius, we'll talk about this when you wake up okay?" I sighed as he lowered himself to lie on my bed. I put the comforter on him and headed towards the door.

"Rose?"

I turn around, "Yes?"

"Will you please stay here? Lie with me?"

My mind instantly went back to what just happened downstairs. "Scorpius, I don't think that's such a go—"

"Rose, please. I need you", He pleaded like a little child. I sighed and went back to the bed where he was lying. I rested my back against the headboard and stretched out my legs. I didn't get under the covers though. Scorpius and I were both quiet and I let him hold my hand for a while when I suddenly remembered why he was supposed to come in the first place.

"Scorpius, what did you have to te—" I looked down an saw that he was fast asleep like a baby. I released my hands from his tight grip and quietly snuck back downstairs.

"Rose!" I turned around to see Albus.

"Rose! Where were you? We've been looking for you for half an hour".

"I-I spilled some juice on myself, I went to shower", I lied.

"Well, you could have told someone, Rose, the ice cream cake melted!"


	22. One Fine Morning of Punishment

**A/N: Hi Guys...I am soooo sad. I'm not getting many reviews anymore. I hope people are still interested and I kind of miss my frequent reviewers! Please review guys, I want to know what you all think and it's really motivating for me to write when I know there's people out there who read it and appreciate it. Anyways, here's chap 22 so enjoy.**

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><p>"<em>AAAAH!"<em>

I awoke with a start and rushed out my room at ten a.m. the next morning to the sound of screaming. I saw that my parents' room door also burst open and both looked half asleep and half alarmed as they hurried out to see why there's yelling.

"Hugo, was that you? Did you just yell?" My dad asked. Hugo nodded.

"Hugo! What's wrong? Are you okay", my mum asked him as he stood in the doorway of the washroom.

"Why were you yelling?" I asked.

Hugo looked at my parents for a moment and turned to glare at me, "Why has Scorpius Malfoy emerged from _our_ shower wearing _my_ bath towel?"

I stared at Hugo, stunned until the bathroom door opened wider and there stood a very wet looking blond with a towel around his waist holding a toothbrush. His eyebrows were furrowed and he grunted at my parents, "I'm Scorpius". He then turned to me, "Rose, I want my coffee black".

…

Last night was a disaster dodged. Once Albus told me the cake had melted, I wanted to go back upstairs hit Scorpius for ruining everything. I burst into tears right in front of him and it took me a while to actually come to terms with why I was crying in the first place. I let Al think it was because of the cake melting but deep down, I knew it was more than cake and for a split second, I thought Albus did too. I had misplaced my Mum's wand somewhere around here so we had Ben, who's overage, use mine to quickly fix it with a simple '_reparo'_.

"Rose, how could you just _leave_ the cake lying on the counter, you should've at least put it back in the fridge", Al scolded me as he put the candles in which I think is so stupid since it's an ice cream cake.

"I don't know!" I snapped.

"And why would you _cry_ about it?"

"I don't know, I'm sensitive, okay?" I snapped again. Al snorted.

I let Al take the cake to Hugo and followed him out. I couldn't really focus on the party much anymore so I let Al be in charge of rest of the evening. I just sat there on one of the lawn chairs in the corner and pretended to have a stomach ache so everyone would just leave me alone. It wasn't really working because they were all coming by and talking to me which was so annoying because I was trying to think in peace.

"Hey, Rose, want me to get you some more cake?" Ben came by.

"No" I said curtly.

"Whatcha doin'", he asked.

"Nothing", I groaned.

"Would you like to come hang with us?"

"No", I grunted annoyed.

"Well, what would you like to do?" He asked me.

"Nothing, Ben! Could you just leave me alone for a while please?"

"You know," he said, "I was watching TV the other day and they said if you get bad stomach cramps during your period, you should take a painkiller".

"THANK YOU, BEN!" I yelled frustrated. "I don't have my period! God!" I saw a bunch of Hugo's friends turn around to look at us.

"Geez, I was just trying to help".

"Why do you always assume I'm _menstruating_?" I said in a much lower tone.

"You didn't used to be so _mean_ before", he said in a quiet voice. I sighed as I watched him turn around with a sad face and leave to go join Bonnie and Al and the rest of them.

I felt really guilty for yelling at him like that but I had a headache from all this stress. I have a crazy, drunk, teenage boy sleeping in my bed upstairs and I don't know what to do with him! Scorpius was drinking this evening and I couldn't understand why. He said he was done with drugs and alcohol and stuff like that so why? _Why_? Did it have something to do with what he wanted to tell me? Now I was even _more_ frightened about what it could be. Something that could change our lives…On the other hand, something else wouldn't leave my mind either. Scorpius got so physical with me tonight; it was weird and slightly frightening. I know he was drunk but still. And Bonnie said he could be 'into me'. I would assume that idea to be far-fetched but he pulled me close to him, he said I smell or feel good or something like that, I couldn't even remember. I touched the area of my neck that he touched with his nose and lips. I guess affectionate Scorpius freaks me out more than violent Scorpius which is so _unusual_…But he's done this before, like that night after the carnival when he told me about his family…before he beat that guy, whoever he is. Now that I think of it, I still get visions of that night but I can't understand how that person recognized me. If it's someone I know, then who is he?

I sighed, a little loudly I think because one of Hugo's friends had heard and turned around to look for a quick second. I couldn't help it, I was so _stressed_, not that it's anything new. I hate my life, I really do. What if Scorpius really is 'into me'? Is it possible…No. It can't be. It just can't because first, Scorpius is not the type. He just needs guidance; a caretaker or a savior, not a _lover_. Scorpius is not interested in that sort of stuff. Second; don't drunk people always admit to being in love with someone when they're wasted? I've seen it in movies all the time. Scorpius just said I smell or feel nice or something. He didn't say anything about being in love with me. Or even loving me in _any_ way for that matter. Although, I don't know how happy I am about that…I mean, after everything I've done, I do think I deserve some credit or some gratitude.

Around nine, my parents came home and greeted some of our friends and had some ice cream cake. My heart was racing the whole time and I had butterflies going bazookas in my stomach because I was so scared and nervous that they might catch Scorpius. I tried to wake Scorpius up half an hour ago to tell him to go home but he was sleeping like he never slept before! He wouldn't wake up and now my parents are home. What if they walk in my room and discover him. My mum would be furious? She might get some wrong idea…I wonder if she'd believe me if I tried to tell her the truth? M dad would go ballistic either way since he hates the name 'Malfoy' and anything and anyone associated with it.

"Rose, what's wrong", my mum asked that night when she came into the kitchen after closing the door behind the last of Hugo's friends who just left.

I was sitting at the kitchen table with my head down in my arms. "I-I don't know. Nothing", I said nervously.

"Are you alright, you look quite pale?" She said as she came over to feel my forehead. "Strange; you don't seem to have a fever or anything".

"I just have a stomach ache today", I said.

"Yeah, she was having a stomach ache this evening as well", Hugo chimed in without looking up from his Chuddley Cannons game history book that came with his present.

"And I'm really tired, I've been working since noon today", I yawned.

"It's almost eleven, why don't you go up to bed, honey", Mum suggested.

"What about cleaning up? There's a big mess on the patio".

"Your dad and I will take care of it. You just march up to bed and have yourself a good night's sleep", She said before planting a kiss on my forehead. Little did she know I won't be sleeping all too well tonight.

So I went to my room that night and quietly shut the door behind me. I put my chair in front of the door so no one can just _barge_ in. I got myself an extra comforter and tried to sleep on the ground but the carpet itched my back when my shirt rode up. The floor was also quite hard so I was up till one-thirty just lying there. After I got up, I went on my computer for a bit and tried to search up how long a drunk person usually sleeps. I sighed when I saw it would take a while, but I still tried to shake Scorpius awake because I really wanted him to go home now because I needed my bed back and my parents and Hugo were right outside which is beyond frightening for me if they discover him here in the morning. But Scorpius didn't budge. Finally an hour later, I decided to just sleep next to him. I pushed his big hard body towards one side of the bed so I could take the other one. I got my own blanket of course and tried to sleep on my left side facing the wall since there isn't enough room for me to sleep on my back since _Malfoy_ here is spread out!

For a while, I just laid there listening to his soft little sighs and prrs. I hadn't noticed it before but Scorpius didn't snore at all. It was like a baby breathing; I could barely hear it. I turned to my right side and stared at him. Even though Scorpius and I have come physically close many times, I had never come close enough to examine his face. His eyelashes and eyebrows were a much darker shade of blond, unlike his hair. And his nose wasn't long and pointy like his grandmother's. I noticed that even though Scorpius wasn't chubby at all, very trimmed and muscular in fact, he still had a cute little double chin when he faced down and he also slept with his bottom lip slightly pouted. To be honest, he looked rather adorable. His Malfoy side of the family isn't like this so I wonder if he looks like his mum? I wonder what his mum looks like anyway…

I don't know when but I eventually fell asleep while thinking about Scorpius's mum. I didn't sleep throughout though. I woke up once to the uncomfortable feeling of Scorpius's head buried in my side near my ribcage and he was clutching my shirt. I pulled it away and positioned his head back on the pillow so I may get some proper sleep. A while later, I woke up again to his elbow which painfully jabbed my back and after that it was his heavy arm on top of my breasts, which I'm beyond thankful he wasn't awake for! Finally, I woke up around sunrise to find him pressed behind me with his arm tightly around my waist. I had no more energy anymore so I let him hold me and fell peacefully asleep for the rest of the night.

...

"Rose Hermione Weasley! Meet me in the family room and five minutes!" Mum said lividly as she stood there in the hallway with disbelief written all over her face. Dad on the other hand looked as purple as a prune; to angry to say anything.

"Y-yes, Mum", I practically whimpered. Mum and Dad stormed back into their room almost slamming the door behind them.

"What's wrong with them?" Scorpius turned to me.

"Scorpius Malfoy, I am in so much trouble because of you!" I accused him.

"What did I do?" He snapped.

"Everything! Please give my brother his towel back".

Scorpius frowned, "You…want me to take this off? O-Okay".

"No! Scorpius, don't take that off _here_!" I stopped him as he was about to unwind it from his waist and flash for Hugo and me! I sighed, "Please just get into your clothes and go home, it's not a good time right now".

"Okay, fine!" He said clearly offended as he slammed the bathroom door on us.

Hugo and I stood there for a few moments before Hugo finally broke the silence, "He's cracked!"

"I know!" I agreed.

"Was he here the whole night?" Hugo asked, astounded.

"Yes, Hugo, he's the reason your cake melted!"

"My cake melted?"

"Hugo, leave me alone!" I shouted in a frustrated tone. I was so annoyed with Scorpius and then I had to be down in five minutes to hear my crime and punishment.

"Well, I hope you know you're in so much shit".

"Yes, I know, it's been due for quite some time now".

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><p><strong>AN: Hi guys! Please Review! Tell me what you think. I'm cooking up some new ideas related to Rose's friends so I can't wait for you to read that. Tell me what you think about Rose, she's becoming so weird lately, no? Anyways, I hope to hear from you guys, it's really motivating and inspiring. **


	23. The Shattering of Cracked Glass

**A/N: Oh my god, so here's the newest chapter! It's probably one that most of you have been looking forward to for a long time. **

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><p>"Just answer the question, Rose!" Dad yelled at me. "Did he spend the night here?"<p>

"He did but it's not like that. You have to let me explain", I insisted through tears. Scorpius had left almost immediately after I told him to, angrily albeit, and my parents had been standing here in the family room yelling at me continuously for the past half an hour. I was getting upset because to explain my side of the story, I had to reveal the past secrets I kept and that could be dangerous for Scorpius and me. I had no idea where to begin and how to tell them anything but did I really even want to? I don't even know if I still care…

"Rose, _did_ you…sleep with him?" Mum asked as her face turned pale.

I stared at my Mum for a second before bursting. "Ye-No! I mean, not like—"

"What do you mean, either you slept with him or you didn't?" My dad yelled. My dad had never yelled at me like this so I was crying out of fear and shock

"He just slept in my bed", I said. "We didn't do that…stuff".

"How do you expect us to believe _that_? Why was he even sleeping in _your_ bed?" Dad yelled again as he paced around the room.

"Because he…needed to sleep", I said nervously knowing this answer would enrage them even more and just as I predicted, Dad's face turned purple.

"Rose, if he needed to sleep, why in _your_ room?" Mum asked in a frustrated tone. But thankfully she wasn't as livid. "Doesn't he have a house? Rose, I don't understand, you pretend like he doesn't exist for days and one morning we wake up to find that he's been in your room the whole night".

"Mum! I-I don't know", I started sobbing. "I don't know anything! I don't know what's going on. H-He came by last night a-and…"

"And so you decided to invite him to sleep with you", Dad interrupted.

"Ron!" Mum scolded, "Let her talk!" Dad huffed.

"H-He was d-drunk", I sobbed. I told her everything about his drinking, past substance abuse problems and his abusive childhood. I also told her I've been trying to help him for the past month and a half and that he has the tendency to become a little violent. I assured them that he hasn't hurt me which I know is a lie but I just couldn't say it. I don't know what made me even tell them everything that I did, I had no defenses anymore and I felt shattered and all over the place. And frankly, I was tired, tired of hiding and lying, I just wanted to stop it all.

"I can't believe it! He drinks? You kids are underage for Merlin's sake!" My dad yelled. He also yelled at me about hanging out with a drug addict and that has no future.

"I'm sorry", I insisted even though I did not know what to apologize for; the list was too long. The room was silent for a while as dad continued to pace around while Mum stared into open space, in deep thought I think. I just sat their silently with my head hanging and no one said anything until Mum finally broke the silence.

"It was him, wasn't it? He was your SCSY buddy", She said quietly but loud enough for us to hear. I nodded.

Dad frowned, "What? Did you quit because of him?" I nodded again.

"Hang on", Mum said in a low voice. "That's why you asked to leave immediately on your first meeting didn't you? That's why you never told me who he was!" She turned to me. "Rose, what happened that day? What did he do to you that second Sunday in July?"

"Huh?" I said genuinely unsure.

"When you broke down and your friend took you to the hospital, near that mall? What were you doing in the mall? What happened that day! Rose, you have to tell me?"

"Mum!" I gasped in shock and fear. I was lost for words; I didn't think my Mum still remembered that!

"Rose! You have to tell us!" Dad insisted and he took a seat right across me.

"And that night at the carnival! Rose, did he have something to do with your leg? It didn't _look_ like an ordinary cut".

"NO!" I yelled; my cut was not his fault I knew that for sure.

"Mum, please! I'm getting a headache!" I cried as she reminded me of everything.

"Rose, we're your parents, you can tell us!" My dad added.

"I don't want to talk about anything!" I cried with my hands on my ears as images flashed in my mind. Being locked in a storage cupboard, the hospital, the cut on my wrist, the blood of that boy all over the pavement and me hurting myself; all of it. I couldn't bear to talk about it; especially not after Scorpius told me has some life changing news for me which I don't know yet.

"Rose, stop crying! Listen to me!" My mum said. "You don't have to hide anything from us; we know a lot more than you think".

I suddenly stopped crying and looked at my Mum. My dad also looked at her with a questioning look. Mum sighed, "Our family—whole family—has known the Malfoys for decades. We know what kind of people they are". Mum turned to dad, "and ever since I discovered Rose was friends with him, I told Ginny and had her help me do a bit of searching into the Malfoys recent stuff", She explained.

"What!" I yelled. "You're such a snoop!" I accused her. I don't know why though because I know she's just trying to protect her baby but I still felt like getting angry at her. I have no idea why I'm beginning to hate everything and everyone.

Mum looked at me and her voice softened. "Rose, I know a lot more than you think, a lot more than you probably know about him", she said. "This is why you have to tell me everything, darling. You're dad and I won't let anyone hurt you, we'll always protect you".

"Protection from _what_?" I cried out, "Why do you sound like I'm in _danger_ or something?"

"Because you are!" Dad snapped.

"Ron, let me do the talking!" Mum snapped at him. "Rose, you may not believe this but you _are_ in danger. Trust me; you don't know everything about the Malfoys".

"I don't care, I know enough. And Scorpius would never hurt me! He'd hurt himself but he would never hurt _me_. And he's told me everything", I informed her. "I know everything, Mum. I'm his best friend, his _only_ friend".

"Rose", my mum sighed. "If he told you everything, you wou—"

"What are you two even talking about?" My dad yelled. "What do you know about the Malfoy kid, Hermione?"

Mum ignored him, "Rose, please, _please_ just try to understand. It's not safe for you to be friends with him. He may genuinely care about you but he's…he's not normal".

"What the _hell_ are you talking about? He's had a rough childhood but he's perfectly fine, Mum!" I yelled at her, offended by what she just said about Scorpius.

"What exactly has he told you about his childhood?" She asked gently as she moved closer to sit next to me. My dad left to go into the kitchen and pour some coffee for himself and my mum.

"H-He said his mum walked out when he was a baby", I stammered as I tried to prove myself. "He said his dad and his grandfather were abusive to her, because she was Muggleborn".

Suddenly, I saw my parents exchange looks with each other. "Rose…"

"What?" I asked confused.

"Rose, Scorpius said his mum was a _Muggleborn_? She walked out on them?"

"Yes", I nodded and my parents exchanged nervous looks again.

"What else did he tell you?" My mum asked as she put an arm around me. I didn't bother asking her what she knows about what I just told her about Scorpius's mum because in all honesty, I didn't want to know. I don't want to believe anything other than what Scorpius has told me.

"His grandfather and his father used to beat him", I said. "And his grandmother raised him. He used to stay with Al's godbrother and his gran".

"Okay, okay", Mum whispered as she pulled me in to hug her. "I'm so glad you told me".

"I am too. All I needed was someone to talk to, that's all and I was afraid you would do something about it rather than just listen", I sighed.

For some reason, my mum didn't respond to that. I lifted my head and from the corner of my eye I saw her looking at my dad again. They were doing their thing again where they communicate with their eyes. Only this time, I had no idea what they were talking about.

…

I spent the rest of the day lying on my couch in front of the TV with a blanket on me. I didn't eat much because I had no appetite and I didn't talk to anyone because I had lost interest as well. Hugo was told not to ask any questions when I occasionally burst into tears but I sort of liked that he sat with me and hugged me to show his support. I didn't think much about the fact that I had told my parents almost everything; I didn't want to worry about anything and besides, my mum said she only wanted to support me; that she was there if I wanted to talk and wouldn't do anything irrational…I think. Come to think of it, I forgot most of the conversation I had with them this morning and it was only like five hours ago. All I remember is lots of yelling and Mum saying something about me not knowing as much as I thought. I didn't argue with her too much about that because _I know_ that I know the truth; Scorpius told me. If my mum's mistaken, then it's probably better that she doesn't know too much. Still, I wondered why she and my dad exchanged looks when I told her about Scorpius's mum…I also remember Mum calling him abnormal which makes me cry because I care about him so much. Suddenly, as I was thinking to myself, Hugo hurried downstairs to inform me that my phone was ringing and brought it to me.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hi, Rose, it's Ben".

"Ben! Hi", I said as a sat up.

"Rose, what is wrong with you?"

"What?" Why was he yelling at me?

"Rose, we were supposed to meet in Diagon Alley like _three hours_ ago! Remember, we were going to go school shopping together".

"Oh, Ben, I'm so sorry!" I said as my voice became smaller.

"Rose, I've been texting you since noon! You could have checked your phone and replied at least. I waited at The Leaky Cauldron for three hours for you", he sighed.

"Ben, I'm so sorry!" I burst into tears. "My phone was on vibrate and I couldn't hear it downstairs".

"Rose, why are you crying?" He asked. "What's wrong with you these days, you're so out of it, like everything".

I started crying even more. "I'm sorry, everythings just tumbling down on me an..."

"Oh Merlin, are you okay? Don't cry, Rosie. Do you want me to come over? Rose, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'll come over right now, okay. I'm at Florean's right now, and I'll bring you some chocolate chip mint ice cream and we can talk about it, okay. Don't cry alone, okay, you have me".

"Ben, you can't come over", I said bluntly.

"What? why?"

"Because I don't want to see anyone. I'm sorry I have to go now", And with that, I hung up on him. I felt so horrible and I really wanted to just hug him right now but I also wanted to be alone because I couldn't understand myself right now. Ben said I was out of it? Is that what all my friends think? I'm pretty sure Emma and Priya and Al do. I can't believe I just forgot about him today after I said I would go with him! And why did I have to tell him not to come over? I'm so _stupid._

"Rose?" Hugo said softly when he came back downstairs while my parents were upstairs in their room.

"Yes, Hugo", I replied as I wiped my tears.

"I sort of heard all the stuff you guys were talking about and…and, do you think Malfoy told you the truth?"

"Huh? Hugo, I-I believe him, he wouldn't lie to me…would he?"

"Well, _you_ should know that, shouldn't you?" Just then, both Mum and Dad came downstairs all ready to go somewhere. "Hey, where are you guys going?" Hugo looked up.

"We've got to run some errands; we'll be back in an hour or two. If we don't make it home by dinner, we probably will but just in case, there's some leftover food from yesterday in the fridge", Mum replied. "Now, you kids be good and don't fight, okay". After saying goodbye to us, my parents left.

"Rose?" Hugo said again when he came back into the family room after locking the door behind them.

"Yeah?"

"Rose, does Malfoy really care about you?"

"Yes, he does, Hugo, I know this for sure", I said as I remembered how he drove into a pole once to punish himself for hurting me and how he beat up that boy to defend me.

"Rose, do you believe that Malfoy is a nice person, that he won't hurt you. Do you believe everything he told you?"

"Yes…I suppose so. I mean I do trust him but the things Mum said this morning…"

"Do you think Mum knows more than you?"

"I don't think so, I mean Scorpius wouldn't lie to me…I think" I said unsurely. What mum said this morning did raise suspicion but I really believe its mum who's mistaken because my account is first hand from Scorpius himself.

"Do you trust him, Rose?"

"Yes…I think so…I mean, I do bu—"

"Rose, you can't be so undecided about this! You have to know for sure. _Do you _trust him?"

"Hugo, why are you asking me this…?" I said unsurely.

Hugo took a deep breath, "Because…well because if you trust him, then you have to call him right away and warn him. Tell him to flee".

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><p><strong>AN: OMG the Ben part was so painful to write and I have no idea why Rose did that to him. I really don't want her to lose him but she's become a crackhead over Scorpius lately. Anyways, so I've introduced some more mysteries to the plot! What do you think's the truth about Scorpius's mother? Why did Hermione and Ron exchange looks? What do you think Hermione's found out about the Malfoys and why does she think Scorpius is "dangerous"? And finally...**

** WHERE DO YOU THINK RON AND HERMIONE WENT?**


	24. A Midnight Escape with the Horribly Evil

**A/N: See how much I love you readers, I'm posting a chapter a day even though I know I'm spoiling you! Haha just kidding. Anyways people, please review or I'm going to be very sad and become too lazy to write! Okay everyone, have a good read!**

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><p>I couldn't believe them! How could my parents do this to me? For one, my mother lied to me, she refused to tell me where she went; she said she's handling my problem <em>for<em> me. What the hell is that supposed to mean? I don't have a problem. Scorpius is not my _problem_; I love everything about him. I know he has issues with containing his anger and he has the tendency to become a little violent but does it even matter?

I had no idea what to do so I called Scorpius as soon as Hugo told me that my parents had gone somewhere to "take care of everything". I told him that I told my parents everything and my mum would do anything to make sure he stays away from me. I thought he would be so mad but all he said was "Okay, I'll be at my cottage". That's all. He didn't accuse me of betraying him like I thought he would. I thought he'd be mad at me but he didn't say anything other than those six words. I'm surprised he even trusted me again when he told me where he would go. This is what my parents don't understand, Scorpius really does care for me; he trusts me blindly and would always forgive me. I would do the same to him too. When my mum dad came home that night, I yelled at them. I told her I would never trust her ever again. All she said was that she's my mother and knows what's best for me. I don't believe that at all so I just ran up to my room where I shut myself for the rest of the evening. I didn't have dinner even though Mum brought me some sandwiches and tried to coax me into eating. I just threw the plate against the wall and left her shocked and startled. She ran downstairs to my dad and started crying about how she doesn't know what's happened to me and that she's scared for me and blah blah blah. So dad came upstairs and tried to talk to me and tell me that they're only doing what's best for me and they've seen and experienced more than I have. I yelled at him and told him to go away. Then he grounded me and told me I can't come out of my room until I do some reflective thinking and apologize to my mother. Apologies my foot!

So it was around two-thirty am when I was lying in my bed but I couldn't sleep. I was glad that everyone else had gone to bed and I contemplated going downstairs to get something to eat but then I realized I wasn't very hungry anyways. So I decided to call Scorpius. It was the perfect chance since no one was awake. I had to use the house phone though because he's probably in Scotland right now and if my cell phone bill is too grand, mum and dad might catch on.

To my surprise, Scorpius picked up right away, "Hello, Rose, is that you?" I was shocked when I heard something in his voice that I've never heard before. It seemed like worry and concern. For me?

"Yeah. How are you?"

"Rose, are you okay?" He asked. My guess was correct. I never thought I could drive Scorpius into anxiety because of me like he does to me but there he was, worrying about me.

"I'm okay, I'm grounded though", I shrug.

"Why?"

"Because, I was rude to my parents", I sighed.

"Oh", he said. Neither of us said anything more and I think he had an idea that it was because my parents don't like him.

Finally I broke the silence, "Scorpius did you know that last night, you slept with your arm around me?" I did not know where that came from but I wanted to tell him.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, at first you were really annoying cause you kept hitting me with your arms and legs and I had to move you like three times", I chuckled.

"Oh", Scorpius said plainly. "Well, when I woke up, you were practically buried in my chest and you were holding my arm so tightly your nails were digging into my skin".

"Really?" I said kind of shocked. "I don't remember that".

"Yeah, it was sort of weird; I thought you were having a bad dream or something because you seemed scared or something".

"I don't really remember my dreams", I said after I tried hard to remember it but couldn't.

"Yeah and I had to _pry_ your fingers off 'cause I needed to go pee really bad". I burst out laughing at the fact that he really did not know what to say at the proper time. "What?' He asked confused.

"Nothing, it's just sometimes, you're so…clueless".

"Oh…okay", He said again.

"Scorpius, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Can you tell me about your family? Your mum?" I need to know. I need to prove my mum wrong.

"Why do you want to know about my mum?" his voice became serious all of a sudden.

"I-I don't know", I stammered. "I want to know more about your family, I guess".

"They are _not_ my family!" He said angrily. "And did your Mum tell you to ask me? Just tell her to mind her own fucking business!"

"Scorpius! You can't speak about my Mum so rudely! And for your information, she did not tell me to ask you anything", I snapped.

"Then why the _fuck_ do you care?" he snarled.

"Because I care about you!"

Scorpius took a deep breath and sighed, "Rose, when can I see you again?"

"I-I don't know. It's going to be very hard. I think my parents are trying to punish me", I started crying all of a sudden because I was so unsure about everything. I don't know what's going to happen and if things will ever go back to the way they were. My mum is like a fierce lioness but she _cried_ today because she doesn't know what's happening to me. I don't know if they'll ever let me out of the house, I don't know if they'll ever let me see Scorpius again. And what about my friends; Ben's probably so mad at me and he's never mad at anyone. I've lost Emma and Priya and I don't know who to blame. I don't know what's in my head and what's real. I don't know if I'm delusional; if all my fears are in my head. I don't know what's reality and that's the part that frightens me the most.

"Rose, please stop crying", Scorpius begged.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, I won't do it again", he insisted.

"It's not that", I said through tears. "Scorpius, I don't know if I'll be able to see you again. I need to talk to you and I need to be with you".

"I'm sorry, Rose, I wish there was something I could do", He said with a small and sad voice.

And that's when it suddenly hit me. "Scorpius, come get me!"

"What?"

"Come get me; we'll go to your cottage", I said.

"Are you sure? Your parents—"

"I don't care! I'll go back in the morning or tomorrow or the day after. I just need to get away for now", I insisted.

"O-Okay…if you're sure?"

"I am!" I said excitedly.

"Can I floo to your house?"

"Yes, I'll use my Dad's wand to place the '_muffliato'_ spell in the family room. Hurry, Okay?" I say and quickly hang up.

I rush to my closet and throw on the first thing that was lying on the floor, which was my dress from Hugo's party the day before yesterday. I quickly pulled out my school bag and threw in my toothbrush, hair brush, a pair of jeans and a tank top, my PJs and even an extra pair of panties. I stopped to check all the stuff that I put in my bag and decided I was going too overboard so I threw the whole bag back into my closet and just grabbed my phone, and sandals. I was going to get my wand as well but it's no good since I'm underage anyways. After that, I got my bedroom key and locked it from outside. I went to my dad's office and locked it by magic as well using his wand and cast a spell in the family room so my parents and Hugo can't hear anything.

As soon as I returned from his office after placing his wand back in its place, Scorpius appeared in my fireplace. "Come on, Rose", He whispered holding his hand out. I took it and all of a sudden, I was in a whirl that caused my stomach to turn.

…

"This is your cottage?" I asked as I looked around. It was a clean, white and almost empty little house. There was a fireplace, a sofa and a little table with two chairs in the main room. There was a small kitchen as well with the most basic appliances. I also saw two doors. One was opened and the other was closed. I could see a double bed and a dresser in the door that was opened so I assumed the other one to be a washroom. Scorpius's cottage was clean for the most part. It was sort of empty so it felt a little cold. I looked around again until I saw something that shocked me. On the coffee table in the far corner were empty packets of cigarettes and empty bottles of alcohol, spilled little bottles of pills and these odd looking cigarettes with green stuff on them. I moved a little closer, still in shock and jumped back and away from the putrid smell.

"SCORPIUS!" I yelled.

"What?" He replied in an unbelievably calm manner.

"What _is_ all this _stuff_?" I yelled at him.

"It's my stuff, old stuff", he said.

"I mean what's it doing _here_?" I yelled in panic. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Scorpius told me he was over that stuff. I worked so hard for him to get back on track and he hasn't changed one bit! I thought he was only drinking that day because he was stressed but now I'm pretty sure this is regular routine. "Scorpius, you betrayed me! You lied to me!" I yelled as I started crying again .I was sure my face was blotchy and my eyes were red and puffy from all the crying I've been doing lately.

"I didn—"

"YES YOU DID! I thought you cared about me!" I yelled at him as I cried.

"Listen, Rose, I _didn't_ lie!" He insisted.

"I don't care, I hate you Scorpius Malfoy!" I said as I turned away from him. I didn't have anywhere to go here so I just stomped off into his room.

"Rose, you're being stupid!" He shouted at me as he followed me but I slammed the door in his face. Apparently that was the wrong thing to do because all of a sudden, I heard the door being violently slammed.

"Open the door, Rose!" Scorpius yelled as he continued to slam the door.

"No! I don't want to talk to you, Scorpius! Go away!" I yelled back as I moved away from the door.

"Don't be stupid, Rose, open the fucking door before I break it down!" He threatened.

I was still crying because I hadn't expected Scorpius would treat me like this. I thought he'd hold me and tell me that it'll all be okay and he won't let anyone hurt me. I didn't think he'd yell at me when he knows how upset I am trying to protect him…us.

"Scorpius, I hate you so much!" I cried as I heard him trying to push the door open. I was hiccoughing now as I took a seat on the edge of the bed and tried to wipe my tears. I was glad I didn't bring my bag because I just wanted to leave now. I looked down to turn my cell on when all of a sudden the door burst open.

"ROSE!" Scorpius stood there furious as ever. Suddenly his voice became low and dangerous and his eyes filled with fury as he moved towards me, "Don't you _ever_ do that again".

I stood up and faced him. "I'm going home", I said looking straight into his eyes.

"No you're not", he said warningly. "Not like this, not until we talk".

"What the _hell_ are you _saying_? I'll do whatever I want!" I said as I tried to walk past him but he moved to stand in front of me and blocked my way. "Get out of my way Scorpius", I said angrily.

"You're not going anywhere, not right now".

"Why not? You can't stop me!" I yelled as I pushed him and tried to run outside to the fireplace, but suddenly I felt a hold on my arm. "Scorpius!" I turned around, "Let go of me!" I yelled as I struggled, but his grip was too tight

Scorpius brought his face closer to mine, "Rose, I've been trying to keep calm for a while now and if you know what's best for you, you will quietly walk with me into that room and we will talk".

"Are you threatening me?"

"YES!"

I slapped him across the face.

I did not know where it came from. I had never slapped anyone; I had never even physically fought with my brother let alone anyone else. I was more scared now, scared of myself and scared of Scorpius who was in shock. All of a sudden, shock disappeared from his face; it was replaced by ferocity.

"S-Scorpius—I-I was sc—" All of a sudden, I felt Scorpius tighten his grip around my arm which made me cry in pain.

"YOU FUCKIN—" He was too furious to even speak as he dragged me into the room.

"Scorpius, stop! Please, you're scaring me!" I shouted the whole way. All of a sudden, he pushed me back onto the bed and my head collided with the headboard. I yelled out loud from the pain.

"HOW DARE YOU FUCKING SLAP ME?" He yelled and I started crying out of fear again.

I tried to get up, "Scorpius, I'm scared, I want to go home", I begged. But he pushed me back down.

"Let's get one thing straight. You will never walk away from me, _ever_ again! Not without listening to me".

"You can't tell me what to do!" I whimpered through tears

Suddenly, I felt Scorpius come on the bed and I flailing my arms and legs to get him off as he came to hover above me. I tried to hit him and punch him but he pinned my arms down and brought his face closer. "I don't want to hurt you; don't force me", he said.

"Please get off me!" I begged. I hate tight, closed spaces, they scare me! He should know that better than anyone!

"Rose, that is old stuff", he tried to explain and it took me a moment to realize he was talking about the mess on his coffee table. Did he honestly think I still cared?

"I don't care! I just want to go home!" I wailed. I hated him so much right now.

"I can't let you go home like this. Not when you're mad at me", he said as his voice got lower and slightly calmer.

"How do you expect me not to be mad at you?" I yelled in disbelief. "You're mental! You're horrible, I hate you and you're hurting me!" I rambled.

Scorpius didn't say anything, he just lowered himself to lie on top of me; my arms still pinned near my head. "Rose", he groaned.

"I hate you, Malfoy, I _hate_ you!" I yelled as I twisted my body to try and get him off of me.

"Shh", he said gently as he buried his head in my shoulder, but I still didn't care! Scorpius loosened his grip on my wrists and slid his hand up into my palm where his fingers laced mine. If he thought he could be all sweet and gentle and I wouldn't be mad anymore, then he's wrong!

"I hate you!" I yelled at him when I had finally given up on struggling and just let him lie on me.

"Okay", He groaned into my neck.

"An you're evil!"

"I know", He whispered.

"And you're crazy!"

"So are you…crazy wonderful".

I turned my head to the side to check the time. It was around almost four in the morning. I sighed and just laid there thinking about what's going to happen in the morning. I know my parents will be mad but mostly scared when they find me missing. Hugo would be scared too but I have a feeling he might have an idea that I'm with Scorpius. I wonder what my parents would do. I wonder if they'd call the authorities. My mum might try and place charges on the Malfoys or something…but she can't. It's not like Scorpius kidnapped me! I was so tired and I didn't want to think about this. I just wanted to sleep and wake up in the morning in my own bed and discover Al's messages about the dumb things James did in my texts. I wanted everything to be normal again but the reality was that I had a very heavy teenage boy, that I hate, lying on top of me and I could barely breathe!

"Scorpius!" I yelled.

"Hmm", He groaned in my neck which sent a weird vibrating feeling—which I didn't like!

"Get off me", I said but not with anger anymore because it was four am in the morning and I was just so tired and the back of my head hurt from when it collided with the headboard.

"Please, don't be mad at me", he begged.

"Why the _hell_ not? You practically assaulted me".

"Rose, I know I'm mean and horrible and evil and whatever you may think but I need you".

"Scorpius I'm tired. I'm sick and tired, I have to constantly lie for you and put up with your anger. I'm tired of you being mean to me. I'm always the one compromising; I'm always getting hurt. It' not fair; you're like a baby sometimes and I have to be your mom!"

Scorpius lifted himself up a bit and stared at me. "That's why I can't be without you", he whispered as he rolled on to his side. He pulled me on to my side and put his arms around me as I lay there facing him. "Your body is so soft and warm…Rose, I-I…"

"What?" I said as let my head rest in his chest.

"I don't know what the hell it is and I don't know why or how or whatever but…"

"What is it Scorpius?" I look up at him.

"I don't know how but I think you're the only person I could die for in this world".

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><p><strong>AN: Wow these two are so messed up! Scorpius is really beginning to feel something different and he doesn't understand it. So what do you think is going to happen in the morning? What do you think Scorpius's explanation will be about the stuff on his coffee table? What do you think's the life changing news Scorp has? (we still don't know it yet!) Where do you think Ron/Mione went? And what the hell is up with Scorp's mum? OMG Guys please review, I feel like this story is just going to get a whole lot better! **


	25. What Have You Done, Rose Weasley?

"Mmm", I faintly heard Scorpius groan in the back of my neck. I shivered from the vibration and his hot breath travelling down my back.

"Scorpius?" I yawned and stretched my arms. I turned to lie on my back and looked at him. He tightened his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. "Scorpius?" I said as I released myself a little from his hold. I shook him slightly until he opened one of his eyes.

"Hmm?" He said closing both eyes again.

"Scorpius, its morning", I shook him again. I pulled the blanket off and lifted myself a little to see the alarm clock. "It's actually past noon…"

"Go back to sleep, Rose", he groaned in an annoyed way as he pulled the blanket back over me.

"Scorpius, wake up", I said a bit more seriously as I sat up.

Scorpius grunted, "What do you _want_?"

"When did we fall asleep…?" I asked quietly as I tried to remember.

"I don't remember the exact _hour_, Rose", he said sarcastically.

"That's not what I meant. When did I doze off? Last thing I remember was…yelling. Yeah, we were yelling and…" I stopped to think and it suddenly all came back to me. All the yelling and the pushing and the coffee table... "Scorpius, I'm so sorry I slapped you", I said touching his face.

"Oh that…I forgot about that", he muttered. I caressed his face with my hand. Scorpius sighed as he took my hands in his. "You fell asleep very quickly. I got you a blanket and put some ice on your head", he pointed to the bedside table on my side where there was a little plastic bag full of water, melted ice.

"Thanks", I said. "And I guess after that you decided to join me?"

Scorpius didn't blush or anything like a normal boy would, he looked straight at me with a blank expression. He didn't seem the least bothered or concerned with the fact that he had taken a liking to sleeping next to me. Even still, my parents wouldn't understand or approve. A part of me liked waking up to him but a bigger part of me wished he hadn't slept with me. I'm not a prude…I think, but it was after all a major part of the reason behind my parents' anger and I feel guilty. Oh Merlin, I want to go home because they must be so worried! But I'm scared, I don't know what my parents would do, they'd be furious for sure.

"Rose, what's wrong", Scorpius sat up when he noticed the slight panic on my face.

"N-Nothing", I said. "I'm just scared"

"Of what?" He asked.

"My parents!" Just thinking about it made me anxious, "I-I don't know what's going to happen! Scorpius, they'll be so angry, I was out the whole night and-and-an…"

He rolled his eyes. "You were out the whole night, _so_ _what_?" He said as if none of this is a big deal. "You're here with me; not at some bar or brothel or something".

"Still…maybe I should call them before going home…" I thought to myself.

"Yeah but you should probably freshen up first", he suggested. I could tell he was trying to get me to stay a little longer

"You're probably right…" I said as I slowly lay back down. I sighed and was about to slip my hand in Scorpius's when something suddenly caught my eye, "what happened to your hand Scorpius?"

"Oh nothing", he quickly said. It was weird because there was gauze around it which wasn't there last night.

"Scor—"

"I'll go first and then you can go, okay? I have a brand new extra toothbrush here somewhere as well".

Scorpius left the room before I could even say anything more. After that, I got my cell from the night stand and wondered whether I should turn it on. I decided maybe I should turn it on and when I did, about twenty missed calls appeared on my screen and most of them were from my house phone—mum and dad. There were a couple from Hugo and Al's cell phone and a few from the Potters' house. Mum must have told them as soon as she realized I was missing. I turned my phone off again. Of course I'm going to go home, I just don't want them to track me, or rather Scorpius.

After a couple minutes, Scorpius emerged from the bathroom wearing his pjs which is so weird because he slept in his regular clothes. "They're comfy", he shrugged when I pointed it out. Once Scorpius got out, I went to go freshen up while he tried to find something for me to eat before he takes me home. I was thinking about his hand while wiping my hands on the towel in his musky, cologne smelling bathroom and tying my hair up when all of a sudden, I heard a lot of banging. I stood very still.

My Parents!

Oh shit! Shit shit shit! How the fuck did my parents find this place in the middle of fucking nowhere? My parents would probably lock me in my bedroom for the rest of the summer for "running away"! I stood very still and hoped Scorpius would lie and say I'm not here. However, I heard Scorpius's voice as well; it was sort of loud and angry. Surely Scorpius would never _yell_ at my parents! I opened the door of the washroom slightly and came out to see the back of three boys, slightly older than myself and Scorpius, in weird distressed clothing and a bunch of ugly chain-like bracelets.

"You need to get the fuck out here! Now, Carbon!"

"Listen man—"

Suddenly, Scorpius turned to look at me, "Rose".

The three guys turned around. I felt awkward at that moment as I noticed their eyes linger all over me and their mouths twist into a smile.

"Who's this, Malfoy?" The one named Carbon, weird name if you ask me, said to Scorpius. "Finally managed to snag yourself a little doll, I see".

"Shut up!" Scorpius snapped at him.

I heard more chuckling, not nice ones though. He turned to me, "How did you get him to let you spend the night here? Last time I sent him a cute blond little thing, he just sent her back home".

"Scorpius, who are these people?" I said looking at Scorpius who looked frustrated.

"They're—"

Carbon, if that's even his real name, chuckled again. He was looking straight at me this time and I could see that he was probably no more than 20. He was missing a few teeth, had a sort of scar-ry face and messy jet black hair. He looked like someone I would see if I was passing by Knockturn Alley. "I'm Carbon, darling…any friend of Scorpius's is a friend of mine", he said coming closer, too close.

I jumped back and Scorpius, who saw this, immediately rushed to my side. "Stay away from her!" He yelled.

"Fine, fine", Carbon sighed in fake disappointment. "Her name's Rose, huh? Like a beautiful flower…romantic flower. Hey, Malfoy, mind sharing? She looks good enough to eat!"

"CARBON!" Scorpius pushed him hard and punched him in the nose. I was too confused, shocked and scared to even scream. I saw Carbon get up from the ground and wipe the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. "Don't you ever fucking say her name again or I will rip your throat out!"

"What's gotten into you, man?" Carbon said as he got up. He was looking around but stopped when his eyes fell upon Scorpius's 'stuff'. "Mind if me and the boys take some of that?" He pointed to the coffee table.

I looked towards the boys for the first time. One had dark brown hair and a similar gangster sort of appearance to Carbon while the other looked just—

"Josh! Josh McLaggen?" I yelled. What the hell is he doing with these two freaks?

"Hi, Rose", Josh said quietly looking down, almost ashamed if I'm not mistaken.

"You know him?" Scorpius looked at me confused.

"Obviously, he went to Hogwarts!"

"Yeah, they all did", Scorpius nodded. "That's about all they did".

"Hey!" Carbon said. "Don't be a shit-talking hater, Malfoy".

"Carbon, just take the goods and get out of here", Scorpius said.

Carbon shrugged and nodded at his two goony-like friends to fill the items in their bags. "By the way, can I borrow 85 galleons?" I almost chocked on my own spit. 85 galleons is a lot! Scorpius also looked shocked.

"Why the fuck do you need 85 galleons?" Scorpius said.

"You know, same old, lost it in a game", he shrugged. "So can I?"

"No! I don't have money lying around to lend you!" Scorpius snarled.

"Come on, I'll pay you back. I lost a lot of money to that guy at—"

"Carbon, have you _ever_ paid me back? I'm not lending you any money!" Scorpius said strictly.

"When I come across a good amount, I swear I'll give it right back", Carbon looked at Scorpius threateningly, "and do you honestly want me to cut your supply of the high and booze?"

"I. Don't. Care. I don't need that shit anymore", Scorpius looked straight at him. This whole time I had all these thoughts running around m mind I didn't know what to think. First off, who are these people? Why are they even here? Does Scorpius really associate himself with these…these gamblers and drug dealers? I refused to believe it; maybe it was possible that in the past he did but surely not anymore. Not my Scorpius.

"Come on, man please! The guy's gonna slit my throat if I don't have the money!"

"I don't care, Carbon, get out of my house", Scorpius said.

"Why can't you ask that goddamn father of yours, he's the fucking ambassador?"

Suddenly, I looked at Scorpius, "I'm sorry, _what_? Scorpius, your father's the ambassador?" Why didn't I know this? Why didn't Scorpius tell me his fathers the ambassador? The ambassador is a short name for the head of department, or in other words, minister of international magical co-operation. It's a high position and I thought Scorpius's father was some sick, psycho bastard who beats his own son. How does that kind of a person get to be the ambassador? This must mean my parents and Uncle Harry and most of my family must know him. My thoughts wandered back to yesterday morning when Mum said she knows the Malfoys better than I do? Could it be true…? I felt so uninformed, surely everyone must know this. Why didn't I?

"Okay, Carbon, you've been here long enough now get the fuck out of my house before I fucking break your face and drag you out!"

"Fine, fine I'm going. Merlin, Malfoy stop being such a little bitch", he said as he made his way towards the door and Josh and the other guy followed him. Josh turned around and looked at me. I was too busy in my own thoughts to even pay much attention. I couldn't believe the crowd he had gotten himself into but at the same time, I wasn't surprised which is weird. I wonder if Dominique knows about this. I wonder if they're still even going out? Should I tell her? I do sort of hate her guts but she's a part of my family. And my parents never brought me up to be a person filled with vengeance, they always taught me to forgive and be kind and…I miss my parents so much right now.

After those boys left, I turned to Scorpius, "Scorpius, please take me home. Now."

"Right now? How…how about we eat something first", he suggested.

"No", I said bluntly. "I want to go home, Scorpius".

"Rose, please…I know you're upset but I swear I don't talk to those guys at all anymore. Carbon just always needs money so he pesters me but I swear I don't do any of that stuff anymore".

"It's not about that, Scorpius!" I said.

"Then why…"

"Scorpius, why didn't you ever tell me about your father? You never told me he's the ambassador. You barely told me about your family", I was on the verge of accusing him.

"Rose, I told you everything that day! I told you everything about my childhood to present!" I saw Scorpius get frustrated again.

"Yeah, sure. How am I supposed to know you told me the truth?" I slapped my hand to my mouth; that slipped out!

"What did you just say?" He said coming closer, his eyebrows furrowed.

"I—"

"Did you just call me a liar?" He said angrily as he grabbed my arm.

"Scorpius let go! And I said I don't kno—"

"That's right! You don't know anything! You think I lied to you? Did your fucking mother tell you that? Huh, Rose? Answer me?"

"Scorpius, leave my mom out of this!" I said furiously as I yanked my arm back. "And I never called you a liar; all I said is that I have no way of knowing that you tell me the truth!" I matched his tone.

Scorpius stepped back, "You don't trust me? Rose, you're _really_ starting to get on my nerves lately".

Excuse me, what? "_I'm_ getting on _your_ nerves? Excuse me but I'm the one who always has to care for you and for your information, you're not a very nice person".

"Oh _thank you_, you're _highness_! _Thank you_ for _caring_; I don't know _where_ I'd be without _you_".

"Shut up, Scorpius!" I snapped.

"No you shut up!"

"Scorpius!" I yelled in disbelief at his immaturity.

"Sometimes, Rose, you piss the fuck out of me so much that I just wanna…"

"What? You want to beat me up or cuss at me like you do to everyone else?"

"No…I won't ev—"

"Why not, I'm so annoying aren't I? You might as well ju—"

"Because I can't", he sighed looking away.

But I still continued, "Why not?" I demanded again. I don't know why I did it though; maybe I was searching for something or maybe I wanted to know if my expectations are just delusional.

"Because I-I just can't", he said in a softer voice as he came towards me. "I can't hurt you". He took my hand with his injured one.

"Scorpius, what happened to your hand?" I asked again.

"Nothing", he sighed as he looked away.

"Seriously, Scorpius, it wasn't there last night".

"Okay fine", he sighed again. "Last night, when you fell asleep, I turned you over to your side and I was touching your hair and I felt a huge bump in the back of your head…and I got you some ice but…I guess I was just mad…at myself…I lost my temper again and…I guess…"

"Scorpius, what did you do?" I whispered.

"I was mad…I…I…just sort of lost control and punched the dresser, the candle tipped over and the hot wax spilled on my hand…and I guess it's just a little burn".

"Scorpius!" I yelled. "You have to stop hurting yourself! First you drive through a fence and now you burn your hand?"

"I'm sorry", he said.

"Scorpius, seriously—"

_BANG_!

"_Aaah_! Scorpius, did you hear that?" I said frightened. Suddenly, we heard banging around the house and my heart began to race.

"Yeah!" He said as he pulled me closer to him.

_BANG_! It happened again and I yelped.

We both turned to look towards the front door. That was where the banging was coming from and it was getting louder.

"Who is that?" I whispered. Shit! My first thought was the authorities. Maybe they found out about the drugs here and came to arrest Scorpius! Oh my…I could…I could just faint right now…

"I don't know, let's hide!" He suggested as he took hold of my arm and hastily pulled me into the washroom.

Scorpius didn't seem to look as frightened as I was. I caught a glimpse of his face as he locked the bathroom door and pulled me into the shower area. "Scorpius, do you think it's Corbin or Carbon or whatever his name was? Or the police or aurors or something?" I asked looking at him.

"No, I highly doubt that", he muttered as he tried to conceal us behind the shower curtain.

We heard more banging and it got louder and faster. Someone was trying to break the door down! "Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" I panicked as I backed up to the tiled wall.

"Ssh! Rose, stop that! You're making noise!" He scolded me.

"Scorpius, I'm scared!" I cried as I grabbed on to his arm, he freed it from my grip and put it around me in hopes of comforting me. I had my head buried in under his shoulder when all of a sudden, we heard a crash and I was about to scream but Scorpius covered my mouth with his hand immediately. He mouthed me to breathe and I took a deep breath and he slowly took his hand from my mouth and put his finger to his lips telling me to remain silent. He looked at me and motioned me to stay as he gently moved the curtain and tiptoed out of the tub to press his ear against the door.

I heard faint voices; both male and female. I couldn't tell how many people were there though. But there were definitely more males. "Scorpius can you hear them? Who is it?" I whispered as he came back into the tub. Scorpius didn't say anything but crouched down next to me. "Scorpius?" Scorpius looked at me—no, gazed—and he took a piece of my hair in his finger before leaning over to hug me in his creepy style; burying his face in my neck. "Scorpius, what the hell!" I whispered harshly and pushed him away. "Do you know who is outs—"

Suddenly, we heard the bathroom doorknob shake, "_They're in here!"_ I heard an adult male voice that I didn't recognize. My heart started racing so hard that I'm sure the sound of my heartbeat led them here. Scorpius on the other hand was calm as ever while I was finding it difficult to breathe. If it's the police, will I get a criminal record? My parents would be so ashamed of me; I'll never be able to show my face to my family again. All my friends will think I'm a criminal teen, one of those bad-apples.

Suddenly the door burst open and I heard footsteps coming towards us and I started shaking and Scorpius didn't even comfort me. All of sudden, the curtains were yanked aside and I lifted my shaking, teary face to look up at a middle-aged man of regular built with hair more pale blond than I have ever seen. He tilted his head, looking at me peculiarly; studying me I think.

"You know!" He called out behind him, "Aside from the hair, Granger, there's not a single doubt she's yours".

I looked past him and saw two very familiar figures approaching the washroom that ironically have been haunting my dreams. I began to feel dizzy and nauseas; last thing I remember is two arms grabbing me suddenly and tightly…

…

"Mum…" I said as my eyes fluttered open.

"Rose? Rose?"

I opened my eyes wider to see Mum hovering above me. I lifted myself a little and saw that I was on Scorpius's couch.

"Mum?" I expected my mum to lean down and hug me and call me her baby, but she didn't, she looked at me with barely any emotion. Dad on the other hand was looking out the window. "Mum, I was so scared", I said as I put my arms around her, but she didn't hug me back either so I pulled back.

"Where's Scorpius?" I asked. Mum and Dad exchanged looks and then looked towards the kitchen, there was Scorpius and I think that's his dad. They were arguing as well, I could sort of hear.

"What the _hell_ were you _thinking_? Why would you sneak her here? Scorpius, I have never met anyone more stupid than you!" His dad scolded him. If you ask me, I think he was being a little mean. "Like, I don't understand, Scorpius, what the hell are you doing with her? You never even spoke of her before".

"When do I ever tell you about my friends? Do you even fucking care?"

"Scorpius!" His dad said a little loudly. I saw that he grabbed his arm roughly as well.

My dad made his way to them, "Malfoy, I—"

"Weasley, I'm trying to discipline my kid, do you _mind_?" Mr. Malfoy snarled.

"Malfoy, I want to tell you that we're leaving now and thanks for finding them".

"Wait, Ron, I don't think we should leave just yet; I think we should talk about this all together", Mum suggested as she got up.

"What? No!" Dad said immediately. I tried to catch Scorpius's eye the whole time but he was looking at the ground.

"Please?" My mum looked at the two men, "We need to talk about Rose and Scorpius sneaking out at night. We need to talk about setting some limitations", my mum said. She turned to dad, "And we need to talk to talk to Draco as well".

"Granger…I think I'd prefer to handle it my own way", Mr. Malfoy said.

Mum looked at him, "But it's better if w—"

"Hermione", my dad snapped. "If he wants to talk to his son alone, that's perfectly fine, let's just go home now".

"Okay, okay! Stop yelling, Ron", mum scolded him. She walked over to Mr. Malfoy. "Thank you…Draco, for helping us find Rose".

"Of course, Gra—sorry, I keep forgetting you're not Granger anymore", he said.

"It's alright", she sighs.

"Hermione, I'm deeply sorry about what happened", Scorpius's dad said politely.

"Well, we all are, aren't we", Mum sighed again making me feel so ashamed.

"Why are you all sorry?" Scorpius blurted out. "Why can't you understand?" Scorpius turned to his dad, who actually seems quite nice.

"Scorpius, I don't want to hear it!" His dad said to him.

"But it's not a big deal!"

"Scorpius, shut up before I…!" His dad yelled at him and took a deep breath. "You just _wait_ till we get home", he threatened him under his breath. I take back what I said; Mr. Malfoy is a bit scary. It's so weird how he goes from calm to furious in a split moment. He's all polite with my mum and a second later he's yelling at Scorpius.

I feel bad for Scorpius. I wonder what his dad would do to him. Scorpius said his dad was abusive and mean; he doesn't look like he used curses on his son or whipped him with a belt. Then again, people are different behind closed doors and I can tell Mr. Malfoy seems to have a bit of a temper. He was yelling at his son, grabbed his arm and even called him stupid. My parents on the other hand have been quiet the whole time, well sort of.

"Uh, Mr. Malfoy sir…ambassador sir" I said as I followed my parents into the kitchen.

Everyone turned to look at me; even Scorpius who frowned. "Rose wh—" My mum began.

"I need to tell you all something", I said. Scorpius's dad looked at me and nodded. "Mr. Malfoy, I-I want to tell you that i-it wasn't Scorpius's fault".

"Rose, I don't think you have the right to speak for anyone, you've done enough as it is", my dad scolded me meanly.

"B-but I'm not lying, I called Scorpius an-and asked him to come get me", I insisted.

Scorpius sighed, "Rose, you—"

"Shut up, Scorpius!" His dad yelled. He turned to me. I thought he would yell at me but he didn't. He did his thing again where he went from yelling to polite in a second. "Rose…right?" I nodded. "Rose, I don't think you should take the blame for him because in all honesty, you both are equally to blame here because you both are mature enough to know what you did was wrong and troublesome".

My dad huffed, "Are you blaming my daughter, Malfoy?"

"Ron!" My mum yelled in disbelief. "I agree with him! He's being practical. I don't think neither Rose nor Scorpius should be off the hook".

"Okay", My dad muttered, "let's just go home now".

"Ron I—", Mum began.

"Hermione, let's go home!"

"Okay, okay", Mum sighed. "Take Rose and wait for me in the car, I'll be out in a second". Mum exchanged a look with Mr. Malfoy who shooed Scorpius to the bedroom. I think Mum wanted to talk to him but I couldn't stay to find out the reason. I followed Dad out into the car and got in the back seat. Dad didn't get in though. I saw him standing outside leaning against the driver door with his arms crossed looking around. I looked around as well and noticed for the first time how beautiful this place was. There were high hills and mountains in the view. Scorpius's cottage was on a hill and I saw a cliff on the other side with a rocky beach sort of thing down below. It was also slightly cold out here as well. Finally, after five minutes or so, my Mum came out and she and dad got in the car.

The drive was a long and beautiful one but the car felt so suffocating that no one really appreciated anything. Mum and dad didn't talk to me or each other and I felt sick to my stomach thinking about how mad they must be to ignore me like this. Even yelling at me would be better than this. I couldn't stop thinking about Scorpius either. If only Mum knew Scorpius's dad was evil and abusive, then she would have understood. I wish we didn't have to leave him behind, I wish we could have brought him with us. I think Scorpius knew it was our parents outside, I think that's why he caressed me. But even still, it's a weird reason…maybe he thought he would be losing me now for sure; yeah that's probably it. Scorpius's dad seemed nice to us but he was so mean to him. He told him to shut up and called him stupid. I wonder what he would do when they get home. I stayed quiet for the next couple hours as we drove home. I didn't know the cottage was this far from London…wait, Scorpius did tell me, I think I just forgot. The car ride was less suffocating as the time passed and I closed my eyes to try and fall asleep so I could escape all this…I don't know how long I slept for, but when I woke up I heard Mum and Dad talking in hushed tones.

"Ron, we can't just tell her! She'll think we're lying", Mum whispered.

"And her precious _Scorpius_ isn't?" She hushed. "Hermione, I think she's lying. I mean, he's definitely more than just a friend".

"I don't think so, Ron, she'd tell us if they were seeing each other".

"Hermione, how many girls do you know sneak off with a _just-a-friend_ in the middle of the night?"

"You have to talk to her, Ron" Mum sighed.

"Me? Why can't you? I don't want to talk to her, Hermione".

"I don't want to. There is no way I can just talk to her and pretend nothing happened, Ron. I don't think I can ever forget this. She betrayed me…us. She lied to us and snuck off like a troublesome teenager". I heard my mum sob. "What haven't we given her? Ever since she was a child, we gave her everything she wanted".

"Hermione, don't cry, it won't help", my dad sighed. I wanted to start crying too but I couldn't let them know I was awake or they'd stop talking.

"I know, Ron, but I just can't get over it! Ron, do you remember when Hugo was a year old and I wasn't working. You lost your job and we were in such bad condition".

"Yeah…I remember that, those were the two worst years of my life".

"Do you remember how we promised each other that no matter what happens, we wouldn't have the kids compromise on anything? Do you remember when we moved into that tiny apartment and you and I would sleep on the ground in the sitting room just so we could buy Hugo and Rose those nice cribs and toddler beds…"

"Hermione, there's no point in remembering that anymore", my dad soothed her.

"Ron, Hugo lied to us too. I never thought my children would come out and slap me in the face like that".

"Mione…"

"I just-just…it's going to take me a while to forget everything that has happened in the past 48 hours".

I heard my dad sigh and I also saw him hold my mum's hand. I wished I could just go back to Scorpius's cottage and jump off that cliff and into the water. I have never felt more ashamed in my whole entire life. I felt like filth. I didn't think I was capable of breaking my mother down like that. I didn't think anyone was but here she was a mess and it was my entire fault. I wish I had someone to blame for this so I could lift the heavy weight off my heart but I couldn't blame anyone. It was me, all me, not Scorpius nor Hugo; me.

I wanted to say something to my parents but I was afraid. What if I just make the situation worse? What if I say the wrong thing? For the rest of the car ride, I contemplated how I would begin my apology. I blanked out right away because I'm not exactly sure what to apologize for. So I lied to her for the past two months about Scorpius and SCSY and all that. I don't know if I should bring up the fact that I've snuck out before as well, when Scorpius was in the hospital, and I made Ben lie as well. I lied to her about the carnival and the time I was in the hospital when I hyperventilated…

It was almost sunset when we finally turned into our street and I knew that I had to say something now! But I couldn't, I was too much of a coward. Finally I had packed up the courage as dad pulled into the driveway.

I took a deep breath, "Dad? Mum?" Mum and dad both sat still. They didn't turn around. "I-I just want to say that I'm sor—" Just then Mum opened the car door, stepped out, and closed it going straight into the house without a word.

I burst into tears, "Dad you have to tell her I'm sorry".

"Sorry? That's it?" Dad muttered before getting out of the car and shutting the door behind him, following mum into the house. I sat there shocked and scared as I realized the extremity of my parents hurt and anger.

What have I done?

_**End of Part 1**_


	26. The Platform Reunion of September 1st

**Part 2**

I was standing all by myself in a corner at Platform 9¾ at King's Cross station with my heavy luggage on the first of September. The platform was crowded with students and their families but most of them failed to notice me because in all honesty, I didn't want to be noticed. In fact, I wished the world would just forget me. Just for a little while, no one would see me and I would be free to do as I please.

My last week and a half of summer was hell. My mum and dad had grounded me like I've never been grounded before. I had all my electronics taken away and I wasn't allowed to leave my room. I couldn't go out or see my friends, I couldn't watch TV or go on my computer and I couldn't leave my room unless I wanted to go to the bathroom. I tried apologizing many times but I didn't understand what happened to my parents. It was like they were compelled to become these cold hearted people. My Mum and I didn't talk since the day everything happened. My dad didn't really talk to me either unless it was extremely important. Hugo wasn't grounded. He was yelled at a lot and had his broomstick taken away for a week but even that my parents gave it back to him after he made cute faces and baby talked. Hugo was in charge of bringing my food up to me since I couldn't leave my room. He was supportive and even convinced my parents to at least let me out to do my laundry. My parents went school shopping for my books and scales and such and brought it back for me. I had nothing to do since I was all alone in my bedroom and my school books were my only friend. I read my charms text book again and again until I thought that it was truly eating my brain up.

I also cried a lot because I felt like I was in prison. I asked Hugo one day why they were being so strict and Hugo told me Mum had a talk with Scorpius's dad and he got the truth about every single thing out from Scorpius. I asked how and he said he didn't know, maybe it was veritaserum but my mind also thought of torture. Did Scorpius's dad torture him to get the truth out? I truly hope not. Hugo later confirmed it was a truth potion so the first guess was correct to my relief. However, my parents now knew everything about Scorpius and me and nothing was hidden anymore. Nothing from our first meeting to our last meeting and all the lies in between. Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry were the only ones in my family who knew and Hugo also told me Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny scolded our parents a lot for locking me up like this. Later on, Aunt Ginny came by upstairs and I just burst into tears right in front of her. She explained to me that my parents have been through a lot in their own past as well and they wanted Hugo and I to have the most normal life. It still didn't make sense. Aunt Ginny also said my Mum has always had high expectations; for herself _and_ for her family so she was still in shock and hurt. Finally Aunt Ginny assured me that time will heal everything. I sure hoped so. A few days after that, Hugo came into my room saying something he overheard Mum and Dad talking about. He said something about Al's friend Lance Vaisey and what happened in June of fourth year. He also heard them talking about a woman named Astoria. I don't know who Astoria is but I wonder why they were talking about. I also wonder why my parents were talking about Lance. What does he have anything to do with anything?

A couple days ago, Dad came by in my room and just stood there looking at me and I think he wanted me to apologize because I could tell he really wanted to forgive me but for some reason I just didn't do it. I could tell he was waiting to hear the word 'sorry' because he looked like he just wanted to jump in and hug me. I didn't do it. I've apologized a million times and I'm sick of it. My crime wasn't that big…I think. And my parents can't always expect me to keep them informed about my entire life. My dress for Victoire's wedding arrived and my parents decided it was best if I go because they don't want the whole extended family asking any questions. But deep down, I knew better. I knew that my mum and dad weren't angry anymore and just wanted to end the anger and wanted everything to be normal again. I knew they were waiting for one last apology but I didn't care. When I was begging for forgiveness, they turned their back on me and frankly, I don't think I need anyone anymore. My last week and half of summer was torturous and scarring. I don't think I will ever forget this.

At King's Cross, my mum pulled me in for a hug while she bawled her eyes out she kissed me all over my forehead. She said she forgives me and she's sorry as well that she couldn't understand. She said she loves me no matter what and wants to forget everything, she doesn't even want to talk about it. But I just stood there still because I don't think I can forget. My punishment was cruel and unfair and I don't think I can ever forget it. Dad also did the same thing minus the crying part and Hugo beamed at us. I didn't smile. After that, I walked away to go find my friends but then I realized I don't even know who my friends are. I don't even know if I have any left. So I went and stood in a corner with my luggage and tears in my eyes like an orphaned, unloved child. I didn't understand why my parents wanted to forget it all. My mum is the type who wants to talk everything out. I told Hugo this and he said our best bet is that Mr. Malfoy must have said something that really just shook her. I didn't care though. I don't care about anyone. But my own words just broke me down and I couldn't help but cry.

"Rose", I looked up and saw my mum standing next to me. I turned my face away. "Rosie", she said gently as she came closer. I didn't reply to her. I just sniffled as I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. My mum put an arm around me and I wanted to protest but I didn't. "I almost forgot to give you this", she said holding out a big gift bag. "I went shopping for you while you were grounded. I got you some new clothes and shoes and stuff. There's also some candy and snacks in there but you aren't allowed to eat more than two a day". I didn't respond so mum sighed, "I know you're mad at me, baby, but I'm sorry I was so harsh. I just…I just didn't know how to handle it and I know the method was wrong". I sniffled some more and she wiped my tears. "I know you may have thought I don't love you but that's not true. I'm always thinking about you, I'm always worried about you. I was just so upset because I was frightened. I know you're older than Hugo but I've always been worried about you more. Hugo's a boy; he can—"

"You're being sexist", I muttered.

"I don't know. I don't even care. The truth is; you're very precious. You're my innocent, delicate flower and I'm always afraid someone is going hurt you or harm you or take advantage of you".

"I can protect myself, mum", I said. I sort of understood my Mum's fears as I remembered what Aunt Ginny said about my parents growing up in war times.

"I know. It's just; you and I have had polar opposite childhoods. You're generation has been shielded so much that I guess I'm scared you might not know how to fight anything bad that comes your way. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I always want to protect you like a mama bird would hide her baby in her wing but I just didn't realize you're not a baby anymore and you don't need me".

I sighed. "Mum, I'm always going to need you", I said despite what I had said earlier.

"Yes but you're growing up so fast. You're becoming this strong, intelligent and beautiful young woman and I just want my little Rose back. The one who would come crying to me whenever an icky boy at preschool stole her favorite purple crayon". Mum and I both snorted through tears.

"Half the time, that icky boy was James", I reminded her. She nodded as she remembered. I sigh as I lean in to hug my mum, "Mum I'm sorry I lied about all that stuff. I was only trying to help Scorpius get back on track, honest".

"I know", my mum whispered. "I guess you're old enough to make your own friends and I'm proud of you. I'm proud that you want to help a friend in need. But I just want to say that you know by now what is right and wrong. Just don't do anything that you will regret later on".

"Thanks and I promise", I smile even though I'm not very sure what she's talking about.

"I also had a talk with Draco Malfoy and he said that Scorpius may have a criminal record and bad history and stuff but he also said that you've really changed him, Rose. I mean, I don't know how comfortable I am with you being friends with him but I'm glad you've helped someone out. Remember this was what SCSY was originally all about", she chuckled.

"Oh right!" I said as I remembered SCSY. "Yeah, I said I wasn't 'guidance material' but you said I could do it".

"Told you; mums know best. And you yourself have changed so much. I mean aside from the lying and sneaking part, you've become so mature and compassionate. I've always wanted you to become patient and compassionate and I'm so proud of you".

"Thanks, mum. I'm glad you're not going to ban me from seeing Scorpius. He really needs me and he really cares about me".

"I know. Just remember to always be careful, okay?"

"I know".

"And no more sneaking and lying. You can always come to me whenever you want".

"I know". I said. Finally, mum broke the hug.

"We almost forgot", she said as she handed me the gift bag, "Open it!"

"Okay!" I said excitedly. "What is it, Mum?" I said as I opened the bag and pulled out two brand new robes. "Gee…uh, thanks, mum", I said.

"Look deeper, silly!"

I pulled away the tissue paper and pulled out a bunch of clothes. I looked at it and realized that my mum had bought me new dresses, skirts, sweaters, pretty blouses and jeans. "Mum, I thought you were mad at me?"

"Rose, I told you, no matter what, I'm always thinking about you and I'm your mum, I'm always going to care about you and your wellbeing".

"Mum, how did you know what my style is?" I asked excitedly as I looked at all my new clothes for the new school year.

"Well, when you were sleeping one night. I snuck into your room and analyzed your wardrobe". Trust my mom to do something like that…_analyze_! "I also had Hugo help me". I raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged. I looked down and saw some new shoes as well. Sandals and flats as well as some pretty fall and winter boots. But I didn't really care that much as I reached in and pulled out a chocolate bar. "Mum! I'm so excited!" I said as I hugged her again.

"I'm glad! Now that we have exactly fifteen minutes till the train leaves, let's open your trunk and put them in"

"Here? In the middle of this rush?"

"Yes I'll do it quickly by magic", she said. I shrugged and let her put my stuff in the trunk. Once she was done she looked at me and said, "Your friends Ben and Bonnie called and asked about you. I assured them that you weren't ignoring them and you're really excited to see them. Oh and Emma called as well and told me to tell you she's really sorry".

"Really?" My ears perked up. I missed my friends so much that I was so glad to hear that.

"Yes", she smiled.

"Did Scorpius call?" I asked.

"He left messages. I didn't read them", she said as she handed me my phone.

"Thanks, Mum", I hugged her again. Just then I heard someone call my name.

"Rose!"

I turned around and saw Ben, Eric, and Donny who was holding hands with his girlfriend Amanda who's also a very good friend of mine as well as dorm mate.

"Mum, I'm going to go catch up with my friends?"

"Go on", she beamed as she went back to stand with my dad and check the train schedule again.

"Rose! I haven't seen you in so long!" Amanda said as she hugged me.

"I know, I think the last time we met was at Eric's", I said excitedly.

"Guys, what's up?" I said as I broke from the hug and turned to the other three.

"Nothing, Rose, we just missed you a lot!" Ben said as he took hold of my hand. "Yesterday, there was an end-of-summer jam at Donny's and we all just sort of missed you".

"Ben!" I squeezed in awe at how sweet he was. I hadn't noticed until now but Eric was looking at us the whole time with a weird confused expression. I wasn't really bothered by it.

"So, Rose, how come you didn't come?" Donny asked. "I even messaged you".

"Grounded", I shrugged.

"Rose, you get grounded?" He asked shocked. "But you're such a goody-two-shoes!"

"Donny!" Amanda exclaimed as she smacked him on the arm.

"That's alright", I laughed, "I should be used to it by now". I turned to Eric who was quiet the whole time, "How was the last of your summer, Eric?" I asked politely.

"Huh? Oh, oh yeah…summer, summer was good. Just practiced Quidditch with Lance and James for the most part", He shrugged.

"Speaking of James, where is he?" Amanda asked. "And Al and the rest of our group?"

I chuckled, "Don't expect the Potters to be here until the very last second before the train leaves. And Bonnie should be here soon too", I said looking down at my watch.

"Oh by the way, Rose!" Amanda said in an excited way, "You probably didn't here but this one right here", she pointed to Ben, "was found in Donny's closet yesterday with Bonnie", she giggled.

Suddenly the smile disappeared from my face.

"Amanda, I was _drunk_!" Ben said in a not-so-happy tone.

I didn't care though. I felt sick to my stomach. I felt like I was either going to cry or hurl right there. Ben and Bonnie? Bonnie, my best friend? She can't…No wonder she was all giggly and flirty at Hugo's party around him. Bonnie can't like Ben, she just can't. She can't stab me in the back like that. Ben's…Ben's mine!

"Rose? Rose, what's wrong?" Donny and Amanda asked as they noticed my nauseas expression.

"N-Nothing", I stammered.

"Are you sure?" They all looked at me funny. I felt slightly exposed as I realized they might pick up on why I'm so upset by this.

"I've been a bit ill lately so it's just the side effects", I said.

"Are you _sure_", I looked up to see Eric smirking at me.

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Yes", I said. I sighed, "Let's go get a compartment and find the rest of the group", I suggested.

"Sure" The rest said.

"We'll help you with your trunk" Donny offered as him and Ben got my trunk. I noticed theirs were already inside.

I went inside the train and pushed past a bunch of giggling first years that were running around excitedly and looking around the train.

"Well", Amanda said looking down at her watch. "Donny and I should be off to the prefects meeting now. Got to go meet with the new 5th year prefects!"

"Oh did I tell you", Ben said, "Mickey's the new prefect, and so is Al's girlfriend".

"Oh, really?" I said pretending to sound interested.

"Yeah", he said. "And Al's the new Slytherin Quidditch captain. I wonder why Warrington isn't captain anymore".

"Casey failed his transfiguration exam", Eric said. "McGonagall revoked his captainship, but a rumor's going around that she secretly favors Al. It's pathetic if you ask me", he shrugged. "Tyler almost failed as well".

"Guys!" Eric, Ben and I turn around and see Louis and Fred coming our way. "Guys, my life is over!" Louis whined. Fred rolled his eyes.

"Why, what happened", Ben asked.

"Rose, remember I told you that Victoire was crying one night after her talk with Teddy?" Louis said to me.

"Yeah", I replied.

"Well, that was because he told her he got a job at Salem Institute in America and she was upset that she'll have to go to America and leave everyone behind".

"So…"

"Well, he got a job here, at Hogwarts, as the new transfiguration teacher", Louis said.

"That's great!" I said.

"No it's not!" He cried. "Having your older brother-in-law as your teacher is anything but great! I might as well just have my parents move in my dorm to keep an eye on me!"

"You're being ridiculous, Louis. Teddy has better things to do than bother with you", I snapped at him. Why couldn't Louis and Bonnie just get back together? That's all I ask! Why can't he just keep her away from Ben?

"What's up with you?" Louis asked.

"She's not feeling well", Ben replied immediately. I saw Eric smirk again. "Come on, Rose, let's go find a compartment", Ben said as he dragged my heavy trunk.

"What happened?" Fred asked me.

I shrugged, "Stomach ache".

"I think I see Lance with Damien…and Casey and Tyler", Eric said looking out the window. "I'll catch up with you guys later", he muttered before leaving the train. I had never paid attention before but Eric is actually pretty tight with the popular Slytherins.

So Ben led me to his compartment that had his and Eric's trunk, and now Fred's and Louis's who didn't want to sit with his best friend Donny and Amanda since Bonnie would also be there.

"Thanks for my trunk, Ben", I sighed when he put it up on the shelf.

"Yup!"

"Ben, I think James should be here by now, let's go find him", Fred said looking down at his watch. "Coming, guys?"

"Sure", Louis said. They looked at me but I declined.

"I think I'll just sit here", I said clutching my stomach pretending to be in pain. No wonder everyone always thinks I'm on my period, my best excuse is stomachache.

"You sure?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, you guys go on", I sighed.

"Okay", he said before they left.

Once they were gone, I shut the compartment door, pulled down the shades and burst into tears. I just cried there sitting with my feet up on the bench and head in my knees. How could Ben kiss Bonnie? Just because she's pretty? Bonnie could have any boy he wants but why does she have to go for Ben? Why can't she just leave him alone? And why is Eric being so cold? He barely asked how I am and smirked at me so many times. I thought he would try to talk to me after all that has happened between us. I'm so glad I didn't go with him to his car and fooled around now that I know what kind of a person he is. Why can't he be like Ben? I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Ben in my life. And now, my best friend had to go and steal him from me.

Just then, I heard a knock on the compartment door and I tried to wipe my tears with the back of my hand. Why didn't I just wear full sleeves today?

"Rose?" I looked up and saw Ben when I opened the door. "I snuck away from the guys".

"Hi", I said.

"Rose, are you crying?" He asked.

"No", I turn my face away and go back to my bench. I lean my head against the window looking out at the other, empty, side of the platform.

"Rose? You can't hide from me", he said gently as he took a seat next to me.

"I'm not", I say as I begin crying again.

"Rose", he says gently as he puts an arm around me.

I start crying even more, "Wh-why did you have to g-go and kiss Bonnie", I demanded.

"Rose, why are you so upset about that", he sighed.

"Because…"

"Because why?"

"Because, Ben! She can't always have everything!"

"Rose, she's your friend", he sighed

"Yes, but still! I can't let anyone take y—" I stopped midsentence as I met with Ben's gaze and blushed.

"Rose!" Ben chuckled. "Why are you so possessive of me?"

"I don't know", I said in a small embarrassed voice as I continued to turn deeper pink. "Why did you kiss her anyway?"

"I was drunk. I was kind of upset about something that afternoon and sort of drank a bit too much and she was quite drunk as well", he assured me. "It was meaningless".

"Good", I said. "And why were you upset?" I asked.

Ben sighed, "I'll tell you some other time".

"But, Rose, am I not allowed to have a girlfriend?" He smirked. "Or like anyone?"

"Umm…"I thought.

"Aren't you being a little selfish?" He asked.

"Yes, I know, I'm sorry", I said as I cried in shame at how self-centered I am.

Ben sighed, "Don't cry, please", he said as he wiped my tears and hugged me.

"This is why I can't let anyone have you!" I whined. "Because you're so special and I want you all to myself. You're like my special friend. The one that has a very special place in my heart", I rambled without thinking.

"You're special too, sunshine", he said.

I snorted as I broke from the hug. "I'm so sorry", I said. "I really have no rights to tell you what to do. You can be with whomever you like. If you like Bonnie, you should go for her, she's an amazing girl", I sighed.

"I don't like her. I don't really like any girl right now", he said.

"I'm sorry I cried and worried you", I said.

"It's okay, I actually think you look so beautiful in tears", he said.

"What?" I asked as I burst into laughter and hiccoughed. "What the hell?"

"I know; it's weird", he blushed. "But I think you look really radiant when your eyes look so innocent and watery and your nose turns rosy".

"Ben", I laughed again as I realized he was trying to make me laugh.

"But I'm telling the truth, Rose", he said.

"Most boys like when girls are all hot and done up but you like girls that cry?"

"No, I just like you when you cry, because it's subtle and meaningful".

"Ben, you're just being weird now", I chuckle.

"Okay, okay, let's go out and wave our parents goodbye", He said.

I got up, fixed my skirt, wiped my face and went to the passageway to see my Mum through the window. "Mum!" I called out. Hee and Dad looked at me and wave and blew lots of kisses I saw Mum push past all the parents to come to my window

"Rose!" Mum said as she took my hand "Have fun at school, okay? aAnd study hard! I'm going to miss you so much and enjoy your new things"

"I'm going to miss you too but I'll be back for Christmas!" I said as I tried to cheer her up.

"Keep writing", she said to me as she kissed my hand. I did the same to her. "And remember, be careful!"

I nodded and she backed away from the window once we said goodbye. I saw Ben gazing at us the whole time. "You're mum is really nice", he said quietly.

"I know", I sighed; I looked at him and saw that he sighed too.

"Hey, let's go back to the compartment and eat some muggle candy", I suggested as I took his arm as the train began to move.

"Okay!" he shrugged.

When we went back to our compartment, we saw that James, Fred, Eric, Lance, Louis and Donny were already there. I suddenly remembered Hugo telling me that my parents were talking about Lance and I wondered why.

"Thanks for stealing my seat James", I said.

"Late comers mustn't suffer", he snorted.

"You can sit here", Lance offered politely as he got up.

"Oh, no!" I declined. "I was only bothering James".

"It's fine, I told Al and Damien and Mark that I'd be coming back soon".

"You don't have to leave because of me, Lance", I smiled. "It's fine. Besides I'm going to go look for Bonnie and Amanda".

"What happened to Emma, isn't she like always following you around?" James asked.

"It's a long story", I said.

"Hey, Lance!" Ben and I turned around to see Al standing behind us with Kylie Montague. "You were supposed to meet me in our compartment we have to talk about Quidditch tactics!"

"But tryouts haven't even happened!" Lance exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes, but you know I'm going to pick you guys! Now help me find Tyler and Cynthia and Norman", Albus said.

"Okay, Al we all know you're captain! You don't have to parade around like that", James rolled his eyes.

"You're so funny, brother, I can't stop laughing. You just wait till the first match when we kick your sorry balls to the moon!"

"AHEM!" I cleared my throat loudly.

Al looked at me, "Oh, sorry about that, I meant balls _and_…"

"Don't even go there!" I said as everyone burst out laughing.

"Don't forget, Al" James said, "Your big brothers been the captain since his 4th year. I've coached players older than me".

"Good for you", Al snapped. "Would you like a cookie?"

"That would be nice!" He teased him.

I saw Kylie roll her eyes, give me a small wave and followed Al who huffed and walked away. Lance shrugged and followed them out as well.

"Dude, Kylie Montague is hot!" Louis said after they left. I wanted to slap my hand to my forehead when I remembered she was also part of the bet. But then I stopped, this might not be so bad. I know Louis would choose Bonnie over any girl any day but I also know Bonnie would never lose Louis to Kylie of all people.

"Dude, you were going around the whole party yesterday drunk and stopping random people just to say, 'Bonnie Matthews is the love of my life'" Donny reminded him.

"What?" I said surprised, "This is interesting".

I saw Ben sweat a little from the corner of my eye and I realized Louis probably doesn't know. "I was drunk", Louis said in his defense.

"Uh, huh", Donny said, "And you went up to her and told her you want to, these were your exact words by the way, bestow your royal babies upon her".

"I did?" Louis gasped as everyone laughed.

"Yes, and you practically sang it to me and Fred as well. Exact words, 'Donny, man you've always been there for me, man, you're like my brother and I want you to be the best man at my wedding'", Donny laughed.

"Donny, I don't know why I said that but you can stop now", Louis said annoyed.

"No, no, go on!" James urged. "I insist".

"And then he was like 'I'm gonna marry her. I'm gonna marry that hot ass and I'm gonna fuck her till she can't walk no more and then we're gonna have the sexiest babies ever. Fred's gonna deliver my babies'" Donnie laughed.

We all laughed as Louis blushed. "A bit too much information, I think", I said to Donny as I laughed.

"Hey, he said it! I'm just the messenger", Donnie replied. "And after that he just sang 'Bonnie Matthews is gonna have my babies, Bonnie Matthews is gonna have my babies'".

"Donny, you're the biggest dick in the world!" Louis said angrily as he got up to leave the compartment. Just then he stopped and everyone stopped laughing as well when we all saw Bonnie come in.

"Hi guys!" She said. "I heard laughing from down the hall and I knew this must be your compartment".

"Hi, Bon", I said. She gave me a quick hug.

"So what's everyone laughing about?" She asked.

"Nothing", I quickly say as I take her arm and pull her out before the boys become perverts with the mental images.

"I was looking for you, Rose", She said as she linked her arm in mine.

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, when I was on the platform talking to Eric and Lance and Damien, Scorpius approached me".

"Scorpius?" I said. Scorpius! I almost forgot. Scorpius would be here too. Of course! How could I have been so stupid to forget him?

"Yeah, I promised him I would find you for him so I took him to my compartment and told him to wait with Amanda", She smiled at me.

"Thanks…for being so supportive", I said.

"Rose, I love you, of course I'm going to support you. You're so clueless sometimes", she laughed. "Here we are", she opened the door to reveal Scorpius sitting across from Amanda happily chatting away.

"Rose!" He said excitedly as he got up. I could tell he wanted to hug me but he held himself back.

"Hi, Rose", Amanda said. "I had such a nice time talking to Scorpius. Right?" She turned to him. "It's been years since we last talked".

Scorpius nodded, but continued to look only at me.

"By the way Amanda, I need to ask you about some stuff from last night, want to go walk around and talk?" Bonnie suggested. I knew she was trying to give me some privacy and I swore to myself that I would never think badly of her ever again. I couldn't believe how self centered I am for feeling such anger towards the friend who's supported me like a sister would.

"Sure", Amanda replied; I think she also got the hint. Once they left, Scorpius closed the compartment door and put the blinds down.

"Rose!" He said as he put his arms around me. "I've missed you so much I was so worried, I haven't seen you or heard from you in so long", he said.

"Why didn't you come to the wedding? Your Gran and your Dad were there?" I asked as we took a seat on the bench.

"My dad didn't let me", he sighed. "By the way, he told your Mum everything".

"I know", I sighed. "My mum was surprisingly okay at the end. She said she trusts me to make my own decisions, she didn't ban me from seeing you".

"I know", Scorpius said quietly.

"You do? How?" I asked curiously.

"I begged my dad not to tell her all the stuff that I did to you", he said quietly.

"Rose, I'm so sorry I ever pushed me or yelled at you or used force against you. I was so scared I thought if your Mum found out everything, she would never let you see me and I don't think I'd be able to live if that happened", he said anxiously.

"Scorpius, it's okay", I said gently as I held his hand. "I'm always here for you".

"I know, Rose, I've never felt like this before…I-I don't know what's happening to me…I-I'm so confused…and it's…its weird…I've never needed or wanted…"

"Scorpius what is it?" I ask.

"I can't be without you, Rose…I can't", he said. I watched as his trembling hands hold my wrists.

"Scorpius I—" I tried to say as I felt uncomfortable. What's happening? Why's Scorpius shaking so much? I've never seen him like this. Is he afraid of something or nervous?

"Rose…please…you don't have to say anything", he said as he brought his shaking self closer to me.

I sat their very still and confused as I saw Scorpius leaning in. He put his arms around my little waist and came closer to hug me. I finally felt him sigh as his body relaxed. But I still didn't understand what's going on. Scorpius seems so strange today. I've never seen his tough self become so…innocent and frightened. What is he even frightened of? It's weird how his body just relaxed all of a sudden.

I pulled back, "Scorpius, are you okay?" I asked him.

"Y-yeah", he said as he got up from his seat. He just stood there and looked at me. I tugged on his hand gently as I pulled him back down. "Scorpius I need to ask you something".

"What?"

"Remember…remember that day you needed to tell me something important. You said it could change our lives. What is it?"

"Oh…yeah, that", he said as he reached in his pocket. "Hold this for a sec", he said as pulled out his wallet and handed it to me. A box of cigarettes, a lighter, car keys, chewing gum and a phone followed. "You smoke?"

"You didn't know? Just cigarettes now. Nothing else", he promised as he tried to find something in his pocket. I only nodded because I don't have the energy to fight about this anymore. "Found it" He said. I handed him all his stuff back which he put back in his pockets.

"What is it?" I ask as I looked down at a piece of card.

He flipped it over, "Look", he said.

It was a photograph of a couple on their wedding day. The woman had black hair and pale face while the man was pale blond and looked like a younger version of…"Is that your dad, Scorpius?"

"Yeah", he said. I read the caption below. "Draco Malfoy weds Astoria Greengrass". Astoria? That's the name my parents mentioned! Is she Scorpius's mum?

"Scorpius is that…is that your—"

"Mum? Yeah, I found this in my Dad's old things", he said.

"Oh my god", I said softly.

"Rose, I finally know what my Mum even looks like", he whispered.

"Scorpius, she's beautiful!" I exclaimed. Truth was; both of them looked amazing! Scorpius's dad looked really handsome and no more than mid twenties. His mum was exceptionally beautiful, I couldn't stop staring.

"Rose, I want to find my mum", he said. I looked at Scorpius and blinked.

"You what?" I asked.

"I want to find my mum. That's what I meant when I said I have life changing news", he said. It all finally made sense. Why Scorpius was drinking that night, why he's been so weirdly affectionate, and what he meant when he told me he has news that would change our lives. "And I need your help, Rose".

"Of course, Scorpius! But are you…are you absolutely sure you want to find her? I mean, you're right it will change your life", I asked him again to make sure.

"Yeah, I do", he said.

"Okay. If that's what you want to do, I will help you", I said to him. Scorpius smiled at me as he took my hand again. "But Scorpius, I don't understand. Why did you say it would change _my_ life?"

"Oh", he said casually, "'cause you're mine".

Sorry…I'm what? Oh brother…

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><p><strong>AN: Wow, this chapter started out as Team Ben and then Team Scorpius. So what do you think Ben thinks about Rose being upset about his hook-up? What do you think Eric feels? Do you think Bonnie likes Ben and What the hell does Lance have anything to do with the whole Scorpius issue? And what do you guys think happened to Scorpius back there when he was trembling and could explain himself? **

**Finally**

**TEAM BEN or TEAM SCORPIUS?**


	27. Too Soft for the Hardcore

**Okay so before you begin, I want to address a review I received on Chapter 25 from pandpfan who asked why Ron and Hermione were poor when they are part of the golden trio. Excellent question; so I imagined them to be poor for two years because it was after the war had ended. As I recall the seventh book, Voldemort and the deatheaters would kill, steal and made no exception in tearing up the wizarding world. Naturally, once the war had ended, resources were scarce, Income was limited as jobs were lost and after a war is usually recovery time. Recovery is often slow and has its ups and downs and Hermione had referenced the short period of their life that was not so fruitful. **

**Now I want to say thank you to certain reviewers who almost always have a review for every chapter. pandpfan, Purple Dragon Ranger, HPfan29, Vil89six, and JustDreaming015; You guys never fail to make my day! I also want to thank all the other reviewers as well, especially the ones I can't reply to which makes me sad, so thank you for being so supportive of me and Rose and Scorpius! Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Scorpius, I-I have to go", I said abruptly as I got up from my seat.<p>

"Rose, what's wrong? D-Did I say something…?" he asked sadly.

"No", I said immediately noticing the look on his face. "I just need to find my friends".

I was startled by what Scorpius said about me being 'his'. I can't…I don't belong to him or anyone for that matter. It's weird though; I claim to own Ben but freak out when Scorpius says the same thing about me. But it's not the same thing is it? I have noticed he's becoming a bit possessive of me lately; he got mad at me about Hugo's party and he accused my mum of coming between our friendship—if it's still even called that! Maybe he needs to learn there are more people in my life than him.

"Hey, Scorpius?" I say after a thoughtful moment.

"Yeah?" He looks up hopefully.

"You've met my friends before haven't you? At the carnival…"

"Yeah…"

"How would you like to come with me? After the prefects meeting, Donny and Amanda manage to snag the large compartment so we all hang there", I said.

"Rose, why can't you just stay here", he asked in a demanding tone.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" I insisted. I want him to get used to the idea that he will have to 'share' me. Especially now that school's starting.

"Fine!" He grumbled angrily. "If that's what you really want". I smile at him and give him a quick peck on the cheek. I'm so proud of him; he's really starting to change like Mum said. The old Scorpius would have been stubborn, selfish and would have argued till I gave in but this one didn't.

"My friends are all really nice, I think you'll like them", I assured him.

"I don't really care", he grunted, "I'm only going for you".

I opened the compartment door and looked on both sides of the long passageway for Bonnie until I saw her pushing past the snack trolley lady who yelled at her for knocking down three cauldron cakes. I noticed Bonnie's face was red and she looked angry as ever.

"Rose!" She hurried to me. "Guess what?"

"Bonnie, what's wrong? Why do you look so purple?" I asked.

"I was passing by a compartment down there on my way back from the washroom", she pointed. "And I saw Emma and Priya sitting with Ricky Coote, Zack Riches and Nick Longbottom and I don't think they saw me but, Rose, I heard them talking about me", she said in a sort of angry, sort of hurt way.

"Oh, Bonnie…" I put my arm around her to comfort.

"Come with me", she grabbed my arm. She pulled me down the hall and we pushed past the snack trolley lady and again she yelled at us. Scorpius followed us out as well and knocked half the food off but quickly ran to catch up with us before the lady starts making him clean up. The three of us stood near their door; a little far so they don't see us but close enough to hear them. "Shh…listen", Bonnie whispered as the three of us stood there quietly.

"…Just because she's popular", we heard Emma's voice.

"Wow, I didn't know that about her", Ricky Coote said.

"Yeah", we heard Priya. "Bonnie acts like she's the sexiest girl at Hogwarts and she's so mature and experienced and all but you know what she told me. Okay, guys, don't say anything but she's still a virgin. She said she's too scared to have sex because she thinks it hurts. You know how she was going out with Louis Weasley, yeah he wanted to have sex with her and he like promised to be all gentle and shit since he's done it before and all but she said she was too chicken".

I gasped. Twice. First at how two-faced Priya is and second; Louis is sexually experienced? Since when…Not that I want to know!

"Rose, I trusted her!" Bonnie whispered harshly as she looked like she wanted to lunge for Priya's throat, but I pulled her back. "Rose, I'm going to kill her!" I looked at Scorpius in an alarmed way but he just wounded his arm around her waist to stop her since he's stronger than I am.

That's the difference between me and Bonnie. If I was in her place, I'd just start crying and become all emotional and depressed. Bonnie on the other hand would never shed a tear, she'd just start hair pulling and pinching and biting!

"Let me go, Scorpius!" She demanded as she tried to reach for the door.

"Don't let her go, Scorpius", I said calmly. "Bonnie, they aren't worth it".

"But she's spreading shit about my personal shit and now the whole school is going to know about my shitty sex fears!" Bonnie said in a harsh but low tone.

"Do you honestly think people are going to listen to them?" I tried to comfort her. "Now let's go, love, there's no need to bother with wasteful people".

"…so do you think she's hot?" We heard Emma ask.

"Yeah", Ricky snorted. "But not the hottest. Remember that girl Adrianna Vaisey? I think she's the hottest which to ever walk the halls of Hogwarts. Actually she wasn't hot, she was beautiful and elegant. But she was the strangest girl ever".

"Isn't she Lance Vaisey's older sister?" We heard Nick.

"Yeah. She was in sixth year when we were in fourth", Ricky said.

"Whatever happened to her?" We heard Zack's voice. "She left around June of fourth year and never came back the next year".

"I don't know. I just remember she was Roman Catholic and religious and all, it was kind of weird…but she looked like an angel!"

I was too busy listening in to notice that Scorpius had let go of Bonnie and looked as pale as ever. I looked at him but he turned his face away. Weird…

"Guys, let's go!" Bonnie, who hadn't noticed, said.

"Okay…" I said without taking my eyes off Scorpius. Why did Scorpius look troubled all of a sudden? It made no sense.

I sighed and the three of us decided to leave now when all of a sudden, I heard my name and stopped.

"…Rose? She's fake. She pretends to be all sweet and innocent but she loves attention. She love's when boys drool over her; she's not even pretty. She's just really popular 'cause she's James Potter's cousin", I heard Priya say.

"I like Rose, I think she's nice", I heard Zack. "And I think she's popular because she's friendly, not because of her cousins. I mean isn't that other Weasley girl, the one in Hufflepuff, what's her name…"

"Lucy?"

"Yeah, isn't she their cousin as well but no one likes her", Zack said.

"You believe what you want to Zack", Emma said.

"I saw Rose with Malfoy. Like what the fuck is up with that?" We heard Ricky Coote laugh.

"Yeah", Emma confirmed.

"Malfoy? What the hell? He's a druggy and a weirdo?" Coote laughed again.

I sighed; feeling hurt but before Bonnie and I could realize what was happening, we heard the compartment door slam open and shut and Scorpius hovering angrily above Coote.

"Scorpius!" I said as Bonnie and I went in.

"Hey, Coote", Scorpius said. "You wanna say that bullshit to my face?" He demanded.

"What th—" Ricky said.

"Rose, stop him", Bonnie urged.

"_Other_ people might be, but I'm not afraid of you, Malfoy", Ricky said as he got up from his seat to face Scorpius.

"You better be", Scorpius said in his low and dangerous voice. But I realized it's less threatening when it's for me. This Scorpius sounded way more scary than the one I've faced.

"Scorpius, please, let's go", I begged. Scorpius took a deep breath and turned around.

"Yeah, Malfoy, get the hell out of here", Ricky snorted.

All of a sudden, Scorpius whipped around and _smack! _He had punched Coote square in the face. We heard a loud thumb as Ricky fell back on his seat and a trunk came falling down from above and landed on his feet painfully. The four of us girls yelped and screamed.

"Scorpius, what did you do?" I yelled in disbelief as I saw blood pouring out of Coote's nose.

"Guys!" Bonnie yelled, "No time to think, let's get out of here!" She said as she took mine and Scorpius's arm and led us out of the compartment. "Come, on let's run back to our compartment before a teacher comes!" So we all ran down the passage way of the train to the very end where the large compartment was. By the time we reached the door, we were panting.

"Scorpius, what the hell did you do that for?" I yelled at him. He just shrugged like it was nothing. Bonnie opened the compartment door and everyone looked up at us when we entered.

"Took you long enough", Donny said.

"Hey, it's Scorpi-boy!" Fred said excitedly.

"Guys", Bonnie said looking dead-seriously at them all. "If any professor comes by asking questions, just say Scorpius was here the whole time and you don't know what they're talking about"

"Okay…" James said confused and a little freaked out. "What's going on…?"

We slid the door shut behind us and the three of us found a seat. Ben made space for me and Bonnie plopped down next to Louis—convenient! Scorpius stood there leaning against the door. Bonnie explained everything to them while Louis was trying to smell her hair which I think is so weird. When Bonnie was done explaining, they all just stared at Scorpius who didn't seem to care.

"You punched Coote?" Eric asked surprised.

"Dude, that kid is more annoying than Mark", James said. "Just saying".

"I'm proud of you, Scorpi-boy!" Fred patted him on the back. I glared at him.

"Hey, Scorpius", Louis said, "You see I have this list of people I hate…so it would be really great if you could just take care of—"

"Guys!" I cried out in disbelief. "Scorpius should not have hit Coote!" I turned to Scorpius. "Scorpius you can't go around punching people you don't like!"

"Scorpius, you go around punching people you don't like?" Ben asked as he tried to hold back his laughter.

"Benjamin!" I yelled. "Not you too".

"I'm sorry but that's really funny", he said.

"Man, I like this kid already", James said.

"Guys, shut up!" Bonnie yelled.

"I think Rose is right", Amanda agreed. "Scorpius, you could get in a lot of trouble. I mean they have professors on the train as well".

"That's why we warned you all", Bonnie said.

"Were there any witnesses?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah…" Bonnie replied.

"Shit" Donny said.

"Yes but they had four we have…" she stopped to count, "ten".

"Oh, don't count me", I turn my head to see Mickey Sloper standing next to Ben counting a bunch of muggle money. "I'm just here to take some money from Ben; I'll be gone in a bit".

"Okay fine, nine", Bonnie said.

I sighed at how crazy this all was. Even after everything that happened, the only thing troubling my mind was Scorpius's sudden change of expression out there, before he got mad. But I didn't dwell on that thought too much. For the rest of the time, I got out my transfiguration textbook and Ben and I tried to study together over the noise of everyone talking. A professor came by and kicked us out of the compartment and said we're not allowed to use this one. She also asked questions about what happened and everyone stuck to Bonnie's story. Of course she didn't believe us but there was no way to prove it. Half an hour after she left, we all snuck back in the big compartment and stayed there for the rest of the ride. Ben and I continued to study but we didn't really because we got too caught up in socializing. Bonnie and Amanda on the other hand were going through each other's cosmetic cases looking at each other's new purchases.

"Bonnie, you have to let me borrow this nude gloss!" Amanda said as she sat cross legged across from Bonnie on the sofa bench. Donny, who had his head in her lap took the gloss from her hand and looked at it.

"Sure! It's Rose's. I took it from her the day of Eric's party and never gave it back", she giggled.

"So, baby, every time I kiss you, am I like eating this gooey shit?" Donny asked as he looked at the sticky wand.

"Yes!" Amanda laughed.

"Bonnie", Louis said. "_I_ don't think you need make up! I think you're the most _beautiful_ crea—"

"My answer's still no, Louis", she said bluntly.

"But why?" He whined.

"Because I don't want a boyfriend", she said.

"Give it _up_, man!" James said annoyed.

Ben and I looked at them all and chuckled. I also saw Scorpius sitting with Fred showing him the features of his new Smartphone and I was glad he was interacting.

"So how is it that you're a pureblood but you still know this shit?" Fred asked.

"I'm not", Scorpius replied. "I'm half-blood".

I gazed at him. Is he really? I don't know what's going on, Mum makes it sound like Scorpius's mum wasn't muggleborn but Scorpius insists he's half-blooded?

"Guys I feel so bad for Coote", Eric, who was playing wizard's chess with James, said. Bonnie snorted.

"Why don't you go _kiss_ his wounds for him, then?" James said annoyed as one of his pieces got smashed by Eric's.

"Shut up!" Eric snapped.

"Frankly, I don't", James said." He's such a wanker".

"True", Eric mumbled.

"Remember yesterday when you and I were sitting with Casey and Tyler in the upstairs bedroom and he came by and said he wanted to get high with us", James snorted. "Yeah, right!"

"You were getting high?" I looked up at James.

"Don't worry, it was just pot. I only do it like at a party", He assured me.

"Guys, doing drugs is bad! Tsk tsk", Louis said teasingly. "You know, Bonnie, _I_ don't do any of those _disgusting_ activities that will damage my lungs".

"Dude, do you want us to remind you how heavily you drink?" Donny said. Louis turned pink and Bonnie looked confused.

"Forget I said anything", Louis quickly said to her.

"So Coote wanted to get high with you?" Scorpius asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, why?" James said curiously.

"He doesn't have the balls", Scorpius said like a professional. I slapped my hand to my forehead but the boys ignored me.

"Oh?" James said interested.

"Trust me, I can tell when a guy has the guts to do that shit", Scorpius said.

"You're right. He took one smoke and made this weird face. It was pretty funny", James laughed.

I frowned, "Eric, do you do that too".

"Yeah!—well like once…or twice…a couple times", He insisted when he noticed my disappointed face.

"After, when we were laughing at him, he got mad", James continued. "Lectured us about brain damage and lung damage".

Scorpius snorted. "Have you guys had anything other than weed? Anything hardcore?"

"No", James said blushing. Is he honestly embarrassed? He should be _proud_! What a _idiot_! "What are you talking about?"

"Like crack, meth, ecstasy…?"

"No, man, you have to have self control for that shit", James said. "Have you?"

Scorpius nodded.

"Dude this kid's got some serious game!" James said excitedly to Eric and Fred who also looked excited. Scorpius just shrugged. "Casey was saying something about you last night doing the hard stuff", James continued.

Scorpius looked up, "Yeah I gave Warrington his first weed roll to apologize for beating him up on the pitch once". The boys gawked and burst out laughing and I just stared at them in disbelief while Scorpius looked puzzled, then blushed cutely.

"Guys I think that's enough!" I said angrily. The room grew quiet.

"Rose, you can't fight them and you can't join them. Just ignore them", Amanda sighed. I noticed that's what she, Bonnie, Louis and Donny had been doing.

"I'm clean now", Scorpius said when he noticed my upset look. "I only got cigarettes now", he said as he pulled them out of his pocket. "I don't even do _pot_ anymore. All that shit fucks your mind up, it's really hard to let go". The boys nodded.

"Can I see that box", James asked; Scorpius handed him his cigarette box. "Isn't this the really expensive kind?" He said after examining it.

Scorpius nodded again. "You guys can take some if you want".

I glared at Scorpius as I watched James and Eric and Fred pocket one each. I saw Ben looking longingly as well but I took hold of his hand and squeezed it warmly to let him know it's not worth it and I don't support smoking. He smiled at me and I mouthed 'I'm proud of you'.

"I remember last year, Sonia and I would get high together…" James said nostalgically.

"Now you can do that with her _sister_", Eric muttered.

"Nah…I realized I don't want my woman doing that stuff".

"You're such a sexist hypocrite!" I accused him. James shrugged. "Here you go. Thanks by the way", James said giving Scorpius's box back to him. "Put it away before it gets confiscated".

Scorpius nodded in agreement. Just then, our compartment door slid open and we saw Al standing there with Lance, Damien, and Mark.

"What the _fuck_ are you people talking about in here?" Al asked. "We can hear you from outside. Oh, hi, Scorpius".

I looked up from my textbook and saw Scorpius greet his former friends. I saw him and Lance look at each other longer. Not angrily though, just weirdly.

"Guys, I have an announcement to make", Al said. No one looked up from what they were doing.

"No one cares, Al", Fred said lazily.

"Guys, I just broke up with Arielle", Al said as he plopped down next to Amanda.

"Again, no one cares", Fred drawled.

"Oh you poor thing, you must be devastated", Amanda said ignoring Fred.

"Of course", Mark rolled his eyes, "Now he doesn't have a solid source of orgasm anymore".

"Ew! Too much information!" I yelled. Ben chuckled.

"Agreed", Damien looked at me.

"Mark, you're a filthy dog", Bonnie said disgusted.

"Matthews, I love when you talk to me", he sighed. "Even when you call me names".

"Dude, if you love her name calling, you'll be screaming with pleasure when my fist collides with your face", Louis said.

"Hey, you're not with her anymore", Mark said in his defense.

"Hey, Scorpius?" Louis said. "Remember that list I was talking about, yeah let's start with him". He pointed to Mark. Scorpius smirked.

"What list?" Damien asked.

"Don't worry about it", I said. "It's a long story". I turned to Al, "So why did you break up with her?"

"Well now that I'm captain, I have to prioritize my life. I don't think I'll have time for a relationship anymore", he said. We all stared at him dumbstruck.

"Okay, Albus Severus", James said annoyed, "you need to get _over_ yourself; you're the captain of a _freaking_ _quidditch_ _team_, not the British naval force".

"Yes but still", Al insisted.

"Okay, _you_ officially are the biggest loser _ever_", James said.

"We'll see about that at the next Slytherin Gryffindor match!" Al retorted. "By the way", he turned to Lance, "we'll need a new beater. McGonagall won't let Casey play until she sees improvement in his school work".

"Why don't we take Scorpius?" Lance suggested. The whole compartment grew silent as we all remembered why Scorpius wasn't allowed to play in the first place.

"McGonagall won't allow it", Scorpius said without much care.

"We'll talk to her. Besides you and Casey are the only good beaters we have in the whole house", Lance insisted.

I was confused as hell. What's up with these two? What's their history? Have they fought before or what happened? Why's Lance being so nice if they don't like each other? Wait, do they not like each other? This is all so weird. Now that I think about it, back there, Scorpius turned uncomfortable at the mention of Lance's older sister…

"McGonagall secretly wants us to have bad players because she loves her precious _Gryffindors_", Al said in a snooty way.

"That's not true", I said.

"Yeah!" Ben agreed. "We're just brilliant! Right, Rose?"

"For sure!"

"Just because your team sucks doesn't mean you get to blame it on our beloved headmistress", Eric teased him. Al huffed.

"Guys, Donny fell asleep", Amanda said looking down at her lap. We all looked at him and he looked adorable as ever…until he started snoring.

"I'm so tired as well", I said yawning. "I didn't get much sleep last night and woke up at six-thirty this morning".

"Same", Bonnie said.

"Guys, wanna go out for a smoke. I really want to try this", James suggested as he took his cigarette out. "We can go to the compartment with all the open windows".

"Sure", Eric and Fred agreed.

"Scorpius?" James looked at him.

"Yeah", Scorpius said as he got up.

"Let's go find Tyler and Casey as well", Eric suggested.

"Oh yeah, forgot to tell you, they were looking for you", Al said.

"Okay, thanks", James said before leaving.

I could tell Ben wanted to go with his friends as well and I just sighed, "You can go too if you want".

His eyes lit up immediately and he followed his friends out, "see you in a bit!"

I felt happy that Scorpius was getting along with James and his friends but I also felt sad that it was over smoking. I was frightened as I realized this might trigger Scorpius's old habits. I wish I didn't bring him here in the first place. But what difference would it make, he still had his cigarettes. I guess it's just cigarettes but still. I don't want James and Eric and all of them to encourage him back into this stuff. And Ben? I guess I can't control what Ben does. I can't control anyone for that matter; all I can do is hope for their best and offer my advice. I may not believe in substance use but the truth is; we're all teenagers and most of my friends are going to smoke and drink and maybe get high occasionally and there's nothing I can do to stop it. All I know is that I won't get involved and for now, I'm okay with just holding _myself_ back.

"So, Rose, how was the rest of your summer?" Damien asked as he took a seat across me in Ben's old seat.

"It was okay. Except the part where I got grounded", I said.

"You got grounded? Why?" He asked.

"Oh well, you know me, I'm a badass", I joked.

Damien chuckled, "I got grounded too".

"Really?" I said.

"No!" He laughed.

After that Damien and I talked for a bit while Lance and Mark left to go flirt with Kylie Montague and her friend. Louis and Bonnie also fell asleep and I gave Amanda a book to read since she couldn't move with Donny's head in her lap.

"Hey, Damien, wanna go take a walk with me?"

"Uh…sure", he said.

Once we left the compartment I said to him, "I need to ask you a question".

"Of course, anything", he said.

"Let's walk down that way", I said. "No one's there".

"What is it, Rose?" Damien looked at me funny.

"I was wondering if you know anything about what happened in June of our fourth year?"

"June of our fourth year?" He raised a brow at me.

"Yeah that was the year you, Al and Mark became friends with Lance and that was the year when you all stopped talking to Scorpius", I said as I put two and two together. "Does Lance's older sister have anything to do with it?"

"June of our fourth year?" Damien whispered to himself as he tried to think. "Adrianna…right!" He remembered and then sighed sadly. "A lot happened, Rose, a lot of horrible and nasty stuff."

* * *

><p><strong>Before I get asked this question, let me just make it clear, Lance and Scorpius are NOT homosexual ex-lovers! <strong>

**So what do you think happened that June of fourth year? Oh em geeeeeeeee!**

**I know you all probably wondered why I wrote a chapter discussing drugs but it's not just about drugs. It's about Scorpius's interaction with other people and I had to address substance use and abuse because it's a very common issue with most teenagers today, especially ones like Scorpius. Thanks for understanding guys. **


	28. Something About Her

I gulped, "W-What kind of stuff?" I asked.

Damien sighed, "I don't really know _all_ of it to be honest. None of us do. I think the only people who probably know what _exactly_ happened are Lance, Scorpius, Adrianna and those boys".

"Boys? What boys?"

"When we were in fourth year, there were these three or four boys. Two of them were in sixth year and the other two in seventh year", Damien thought for a moment. "I don't know if you remember them, Brad Winston, Harvey Graham…?"

"No", I shake my head. "I've never heard those names".

"Really? But you must have heard of Carr Bones, he was sort of their gang leader", Damien said surprised. "Turned into some drug dealer now".

"I don't think I remember any of them? Were they Slytherins?"

"Yeah".

"So what happened to Adrianna?" I asked anxiously. "And what does Scorpius have to do with it all?"

"I'm not sure exactly what but here's what I do know. But first, you have to promise me this stays between us. No one has spoken of this for over a year now", Damien said uncomfortably as he looked around to make sure no one was listening.

"Of course, Damien, you have my word", I assured him.

"Okay, do you remember when we came back from the Christmas holidays in third year, Scorpius drifted away from us and got into the whole substance abuse mess?"

"Yeah", I nodded.

"Well, we all hated Lance because we blamed him for it", Damien sighed.

"Lance? What did Lance have to do with any of it?" I said surprised.

"Lance got Scorpius involved; Carr Bones is actually Lance's cousin or second cousin or something".

I gasped, "Do you mean Lance did…"

"Yeah", Damien said before I could finish my sentence.

"B-But it makes no sense! Lance…Lance? He's so sweet and sensitive and…and smart and…"

"I know", Damien said. "But, Rose, Lance had a pretty hard childhood".

"Really?"

"Yeah, it wasn't like abuse or anything…It's his parents. They're…they're religious. Overly religious. I mean it's great to have a faith and it's comforting and stuff but his parents…well, they would take it too far and it sort of got in the way of his relationship with them".

"What do you mean they took it too far", I asked confused.

"Well, they shunned his older cousin from the family for leaving her abusive husband since they don't believe in divorce. Lance thought she did the right thing because her husband used to beat her a lot and whenever he voiced that, his parents used to get furious. I think his Mum slapped him across the face once and told him he's going to hell. That's when he had had enough".

"That's frightening", I whispered. "They told him he's going to hell?"

"It was just stuff like that that affected him. His parents barely ever talked to him. When he'd try to talk to them about his problems or sex or something, they always said "God is watching" and things like that that just got overwhelming for him and I guess at fourteen, people need someone to talk to. I mean if you have a problem, you expect your parents to guide you in the right direction or give you advice. All his parents said was, 'pray to God, he'll make it better' or 'leave it to God'".

"I can see how that would trigger anger", I nodded.

"Yeah".

"How do you know this?"

"He told us".

"So that's how he and his cousin got into this stuff?"

"Yeah, I guess he did it to vent his frustration and he knew it would anger his parents".

"But what does Scorpius have to do with this?" I asked again anxiously.

"He got Scorpius involved with him and his cousin and his cousin's friends and we hated Lance's guts for ruining our friend's life", Damien shrugged.

"So what happened to Adrianna? How's she involved".

"Adrianna…" Damien whispered to himself. "So beautiful and kind-hearted…"

"Damien?"

"Huh? Oh right…well Adrianna was religious as well but not extreme like her parents. She was like Lance's guardian angel. She always took care of him and looked after him like a mom would. She loved him a lot".

My mind immediately drifted to Hugo…my baby brother.

"She tried to get him out of that stuff but Lance just got so bitter towards her and would yell at her and say nasty things to her, I think he even pushed her once when he was really drunk. He regrets it so much now because the other boys would do the same thing to her when they saw how Lance treated her. And then when we were off for the Easter holidays, some big accident happened and she didn't come back".

"Do you know what the accident was?"

"I don't, if I did, I would tell you. But I do know that all of them were involved and she got hurt pretty bad. Lance hated Scorpius after that. He blamed him for it. That's when their friendship was over. Lance was alone and depressed a lot; I think we even saw him crying once at 3 am in the morning and so that's when Al, Mark and I decided to befriend him and help him, I guess, heal in a way. And since then he became a part of our group".

"And you never knew the reason why he was so depressed or what really happened?"

"No", Damien said sadly. "We never asked him but as time passed by, he would tell us bits and pieces. All we knew was that he blamed Scorpius and hated him but after a while, it ended and he started blaming himself".

"What ended?" I asked slightly confused.

"His animosity towards Scorpius. I don't know how, I think they might have talked about it or something".

"Probably", I nodded in agreement, "I mean, Lance was pretty civil to him back there, did you see?"

"Yeah…it's weird. I'm sorry I wasn't much help, that's about all I know", Damien shrugged.

"No, it's fine. I'm not sure if I even want to know the rest", I said.

"Why do you want to know anyway?" He asked curiously.

I shrug, "I just…I guess I want to help Scorpius…I mean he's kind of closed off…"

Damien nods.

I felt slightly sick as I wondered what Scorpius's part in all that was, whatever that is. The only source of comfort for me is knowing that something happened between Lance and Scorpius that they have now come to better terms. It could mean it wasn't Scorpius's fault, not entirely and for some reason, Lance blames himself? I couldn't ponder on that thought much longer as we saw James, Scorpius and the boys come out of the window compartment a bit down from us.

"What are you two doing?" Scorpius demanded when we walked to them.

"We're just _walking_, Scorpius, everyone else fell asleep", I said slightly annoyed at his unhappy expression.

"Oh", he said.

"You guys smell really gross", I say to the rest.

"Thanks, love", James says. "How about a hug now for your favorite cousin?"

"Ew, James, you smell really disgusting!" I exclaimed as I held my hand out to stop him from coming closer. James laughed.

"Come on, I'm like the big brother you never had", he pouted.

I snort.

"You don't smoke?" I look to see Casey Warrington looking at me in a surprised way. I've never actually talked to him before.

"Of course not", I said. "Why? Do I look like I do?"

"No, just asking", he muttered.

"Let's get back to our compartment", Damien suggested.

I actually had to go to the washroom and as soon as I said that, Scorpius said the exact same thing. "I have to go too".

The rest just shrugged and went back to the compartment. After they left, Scorpius turned to me, "What were you doing with Zab—Damien?"

"_Nothing_, Scorpius! We were just talking, _Merlin_!" I said annoyed.

"I was just asking a question, no need to freak out", he grunted. "I don't really have to use the washroom, you know".

"I know", I said rolling my eyes. "Why'd you say you did?"

"So I could talk to you alone".

"What do you need to talk to me about", I asked curiously.

"Nothing particular", he said as he put his hand in my hair.

"So why did you just say…"

Scorpius sighed frustrated, "I just felt like _being_ with you for a little bit. God, Rose you are so _dumb_ sometimes".

"Excuse me? I'm smarter than you", I spat.

Scorpius chuckled. He took a step closer backing me to the wall as he put a hand beside my head and leaned in to gaze at me until he finally whispered, "How am I going to survive without you in a different common room. I'll…I'll lose my mind…"

"Scorpius, you stink!"

"What?" He said startled.

"Your breath smells like tobacco. Why didn't you tell me you smoke?" I demanded.

"I don't know…"

"Scorpius…" I sighed.

"I don't know, Rose", He grunted in frustrated way. "You get so annoying afterwards. If I told you I smoke, you would've freaked out and started yelling and crying and all. You do that quite a bit, you know? I always have to carry a pocket cologne because of you. Your temper isn't exactly the easiest to control".

"Excuse me?" I shrieked. I saw a bunch of younger girls turn around to look at us. "My temper? _My temper_? SCORPIUS MALFOY, HAVE YOU LOOKED IN THE MIRROR! You're the angriest kid I know! You go fro—"

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "There you go again".

"Ugh!" I cried out. "You go from gentle to I-wanna-rip-your-throat-out in a single second".

"Yeah but I get over things easily", he snapped. "You just go on for an eternity and yell and cry about how horrible I am and how much you hate me and blah blah blah".

"You know what", I said pushing him aside. "I don't want to talk to you anymore so you and your temper have a good day. _Goodbye_!" I huffed and turned around to leave but I felt Scorpius take hold of my arm and pull me back. He led me in to the female washroom, which we were standing next to, for privacy.

"Rose, don't get mad", he whispered as he backed me against the wall again and placed his arms on both sides, caging me in.

"Why not? You are so…ugh!"

"Rose, I'm sorry. I hate when you're mad at me", he said pleadingly.

I sighed, "Scorpius, I love you with all my heart but sometimes, you just frustrate me so much". I realized then that I wasn't really mad at what Scorpius said. I realized I was upset and angry about what Damien told me and I took it down on him. I was particularly angry because I had no idea how to approach this.

"Rose, do you really…love me?"

"Huh? Well, I mean of course…I love all my—"

"I don't think anyone's ever loved me", he said softly. I stared at him. "No one's really said that to me before", he whispered.

"Scorpius, I…" I say softly as I cup his face with my hands but I don't know what to say to that. He leans in and lets his forehead meet mine. I wish Scorpius's life didn't have to be like this. I think if Scorpius had a mother, everything would've been different, for the better. From my experience, I've learned that as long as I have my mom to love me, I don't think I need anyone else to. I wish Scorpius had a mom; that would solve half his problems.

Scorpius inhales deeply and sighs and I can smell the mint and coffee and tobacco in his breath "Rose…you're the—"

Just then the bathroom door opened. "Mr. Malfoy!" It was that professor again. "_Mr_. Malfoy, might I ask _what_ you are doing in the _ladies_ room?"

"I-I was…"

"Out! _Now_!" She said angrily and Scorpius and I quickly hurried out mumbling, "yes, professor". How awkward!

"Let's go back to the compartment", I suggested. Scorpius nodded and we quietly walked back.

"Where were you guys?" Ben asked when we got there.

"Got stopped by a professor", I shrugged. I noticed Bonnie, Louis, and Donny weren't there anymore. "Where did they go?" I asked him.

"They went to the other compartment", Ben said. "They're all sleeping".

"Lucky them! I can never sleep on a train", I said.

"Neither can I", Amanda agreed.

"So what are you guys doing?" I asked as I looked around. It was just Amanda with her book and James and his friends including Casey and Tyler sitting around with snacks and portable gaming devices.

"See this, Rose", James said excitedly holding his up in my face. "This is what you call the unholy love of wizards and muggles. We're playing simulated quidditch on this thing!"

"Great!" I said pretending to be excited.

Scorpius and I take a seat on a comfy sofa bench next to Amanda.

"So, Scorpius", Fred began. "Can you take of your shirt please?"

"Fred?" We all looked at him funny.

"Well, he says he works out a lot. I just want to see", Fred said turning pink.

Scorpius shrugged and I saw he started unbuttoning. "Scorpius!" I said in disbelief. "Keep your shirt on, Fred's being stupid".

"Oh", Scorpius said quietly.

"So you work out? Like aside from sports?" Eric asked.

"Yeah", Scorpius said.

"Do you body build or something?" James asked. "I wanted to work out, like more than just Quidditch, so I got a gym membership and all but then I got lazy"

"Well, I used to wrestle so I ha—"

"You wrestled?" Fred said "Is it fun?"

"I don't know", Scorpius muttered, "It keeps me from breaking useless face".

Fred snorted.

"Guys, let's talk about something else now", I suggested before turning to Amanda. "How are you liking it so far?" I asked pointing at the book. "It's a muggle classic".

"I like it; I totally feel badly for Estella though. I mean she doesn't understand Pip's love because she's never been loved before; she's only been taught to break hearts".

I nod, "it's one of my favorite books".

"You people actually read?" Amanda and I look towards Tyler Higgs.

"What's wrong with reading, Higgie?" Eric asked in a playful tone.

"Nothing", Tyler mumbled. "If you're a nerd!" he snorted.

"Did Sonia tell you that?" Eric asked, "Dude, you need to stop listening to your girlfriend, she's stupid and has no idea what she's talking about?"

Tyler blushed, "I don't know how to get rid of her; she's so annoying".

"Ask James", Ben muttered.

"As me what?" James, who had been too busy with his video game to pay attention, asked.

"How do I break up with Sonia without telling her why?" Tyler said.

"Sonia who…? Oh right! Sorry, I forgot you're sleeping with my ex", James said casually without taking his eyes off his game. Amanda and I looked at each other and then at Ben who just shrugged.

"I'm not sleeping with her?" Tyler mumbled.

James shrugged. "Yeah, neither did I. Don't bother trying, mate, she's not that great at making out either. What do you think? She put her tongue on my wisdom tooth once and it already hurts like a bitch there?"

This has got to be the more bizarre conversation ever!

"Merlin, you guys make such a big deal out of everything!" Fred yells frustrated. "Geez, Tyler, just tell her she's put on a couple pounds or something and be done with it".

"W-wait?" I said shocked and upset. "Is that how you guys break up with girls? By calling them fat?"

"No!" Eric jumped in. "Of course not. Tyler's too soft so we tell him to take extreme measures".

I heard Warrington snigger, "Yeah, _Rose_, Eric does _not_ break up like that so don't worry".

Eric blushed and went back to his game. I thought it was odd, not Eric blushing, Warrington addressing me by my first name, I've never even talked to him before except for a 'hi' maybe.

"Okay…thanks for the insight", I say eyeing him like he's an idiot. Well he is; he failed transfiguration.

"Oh come on, Rose!" Warrington said, "You can't possibly not kn—"

"Shut up, dude!" Eric yelled.

Warrington started laughing, "Come on, Eric! Be a man; jus—"

"Shut up before I throw you out the compartment!" Eric said warningly.

I was confused by it all. I looked at Ben but he was too busy eyeing the whole situation so I looked at Scorpius who, apparently, had no care in the world because he was messaging someone on his phone as well.

"Tell her!" Warrington laughed as he dodged Eric's shoes which were chucked at him.

"Eric!" Amanda yelled when one hit her knee. "Grow up, you are so stupid!" She said as she got up to leave.

"Sorry!" Eric called out after her.

"See how polite he is, Rose, you—"

"Warrington!" Eric yelled while taking off his sock.

"Eric, what are you doing?" I said as I watched him trying to shove it in Casey's face.

"Eric!" James yelled. "I thought we agreed no taking off your shoes and socks unless your feet smell like lavenders and vanilla! And you don't qualify!"

"Put your shoes back on", I ordered.

"Yeah, Eric, _listen_ to her", Casey teased him.

Eric sighed. "Just shut up!" he yelled at Casey.

"I don't know what you're so afraid of. Just tell her".

"Tell me what?" I cock an eyebrow at them. Suddenly, James, Fred, Ben, and Tyler put their mobile devices down to look at us. Scorpius just sat there like nothing was happening.

"Casey, don—"

"Eric fancies you, Rose!"

Eric groaned.

I smiled, "Oh yeah, I already know that!" They all just stared at me surprised.

"Wait…" Casey begins, "You know?"

"Eric, you fancy my cousin?" James said choking on his own spit. "But…but _why_?"

"What do you mean _why_?" Eric snapped.

James shrugged. "I don't like it", he said firmly. "Go fancy someone else please".

I saw Tyler whack him on the head. "He doesn't need your blessings, idiot. Besides, I think its adorable Woody likes Rose", he said clearly teasing.

I blushed. I hate how they're all making jokes about this. "It's not funny", I mutter.

"Sorry", Casey mutters as well.

"So, um how long have you been going behind my back and…and _feeling_ things for my cousin who's like my little sister?" James demanded.

"Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now?" Ben said to him. I rolled my eyes.

James sighed and muttered something under his breath but I'm pretty sure I heard the word 'blasphemy'.

"I th-think, I'm just going to go change into my robes now", I said getting up mainly because I want to escape the awkwardness here. Scorpius got up as well.

"Where are you going?" Fred raised an eyebrow at him. "I need to ask you some stuff about working out my legs".

"Yeah, Scorpius, Just stay here", I said. Scorpius looked at me and glared. He looked annoyed by all this and I could tell he wanted to leave with me.

So I went to the washrooms to change into my robes. I saw Amanda there and told her what happened with Eric back there. She just shook her head in disbelief and we agreed that they are the weirdest group of people we've ever met. After that, we went back to the compartment but we didn't go in James's. Instead we went to Bonnie's where she Louis and Donny were.

There, we just sat and talked with them for a bit. After the rest got into their robes, we went back to James' compartment and chilled there for the rest of the ride. It wasn't as awkward anymore because James, Eric, Casey Warrington and Tyler Higgs had left to go say hello to some of their friends like Missy Jones and Nina Flint. To be honest, I think they just want to ogle at her and flirt with her.

So it was just Fred asking a very annoyed Scorpius questions about his former workout routine when he used to wrestle. There was me with Ben playing cards because we were just that bored. Amanda and Donny left to go to the other compartment for privacy and Louis harassed Bonnie.

"Louis, the more you insist the more you push her away", I said.

"Seriously; you are really starting to get on my nerves now", Ben agreed.

After that Louis sighed and Bonnie and him joined our game.

Dominique came by shortly after. She didn't acknowledge any of us and just gave Louis something in a pouch which Aunt Fleur told her to give to him. She left without greeting or goodbye. After that, Al and Damien came by again and started talking to Scorpius who I think was glad to be talking about something else other than his workout since I could tell he was finding Fred a bit annoying now.

Before long, we arrived at Hogsmeade station and so we all headed back to our different compartments where our trunks were. I went with Ben and Eric to the compartment where our trunks were. Donny and Amanda were already there and had taken ours down for us as well. I got my wand out and held it tightly. It's been a while since I've done magic with it so it felt good to be in control again!

When we arrived at Hogwarts, I said hello to some friends that I hadn't seen on the train like Jake as well as Lily and my brother who waved at me. I tried to look for Scorpius since we had separated when we went for our trunks and saw him with Bonnie. I think Scorpius likes Bonnie, or in his case, doesn't find her unbearable. I think he likes Amanda too. I'm grateful for that since they are my two closest girl friends now that I don't talk to Emma and Priya. Yet I still found myself looking around to see if I could spot them. I saw them and they looked at me but turned their heads away immediately. Ben saw me eyeing them and gave me a curious look.

"Rose, just forget about them, I'm sure they'll come around", he sighed shaking his head.

"To be honest, I couldn't give a cow's dung", I snorted; especially not after Priya called Scorpius 'Mental-Malfoy'.

Speaking of, I think he also likes James a lot and I'm glad him and Casey aren't on bad terms since Scorpius did beat him up in the past. I can tell he's okay with Fred but finds his questions a bit annoying…or maybe I'm just imagining that.

So the gates of the great hall finally opened and they allowed us in while the first years had to wait in another room to be called down once we're all seated. We watched McGonagall smiling at her seat in the middle of the professors table with Professor Longbottom, the deputy headmaster, on her right and Teddy, the newest teacher, on her left. I also saw Hagrid with his big white beard and a cane in his hand taking up the space of two people. I waved at him and he waved back. Hagrid is a good friend of mine and Al's; we've spent many afternoons there after classes end to talk to him and have tea with him. He always starts crying about how much he misses our parents' childhood here which used to be awkward at first but now it's really very heartwarming.

"Malfoy, you can't sit here", I turn around and saw Bonnie giggling at Scorpius who was coming towards me.

"Come on, go to the Slytherin table", She directed him. Scorpius furrowed his eyebrows at her annoyed which just made her laugh. "Sorry, but rules are rules".

He looked at me and I told him I'd see him once the headmistress's address and the sorting are over and the feast has begun. Scorpius nodded. "Fine, whatever", he muttered as he walked away. I thought he'd sit with Al and Lance and them but surprisingly he went to go sit with Casey and Tyler instead. Odd.

"Rose, he's so adorable!" Bonnie laughed.

"Who me?" We turned around and saw Louis snag a seat next to his lady love. Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, we were talking about you".

"Really", he asked excitedly.

"No!"

Before any of us could say anything, the Headmistress stood up and began her welcome speech. I always liked how different it was every year. I looked around and saw Eric and James sitting a couple seats down from us. I saw Eric smile at me cutely and I blushed.

"So I'm not allowed to kiss anyone but you are?" Ben whispered in my ear.

"I didn't kiss him", I whispered back, "not since the carnival".

"But you want to be his girlfriend. You will again…" he said.

"I was being stupid, Ben, I'm sorry", I said looking at him.

He only nodded, "I want you to be happy, Rose but I'm glad you've realized".

Once the sorting was done, things began to get weird. James and Eric came by to sit opposite from Ben and me. Amanda and Donny had to sit with the first years and tell them about our school in more detail and answer the various questions they may have and blah blah blah. Fred also came by to sit next to Louis, and Bonnie moved her seat to sit on Ben's side since Louis was being annoying. It got weird because Eric was sitting across from me so I couldn't pig out even though I was so hungry. After that, I felt someone's foot touch mine but before I could look down, Eric smiled at me cutely and I turned dark crimson and looked down. Unfortunately James had noticed and looked under the table immediately.

"Eric!" He yelled in disbelief. "I thought we agreed you won't play _footsies_ with my _little_ Rosie!"

"James, no one cares what you think", Bonnie sighed.

"Fine!" He yelled before muttering something like no one cares about respects his feelings. What an idiot.

After that, it got weirder when Sofia came by and told James she wants to break up. "Okay", was all he said.

"Are you serious?" She demanded. "Is that how much you care about us?"

James shrugged. Then she started yelling a lot about how he doesn't take their relationship seriously and she really liked him and had high hopes for them. She left angrily and James went back to his food.

"You could've at least pretended to show some remorse", Louis said. "I think you really broke her heart. She's a nice girl, man; nothing like her sister".

James looked up angrily, "Okay!" He yelled. "Once we go back to our common room, I'll just crack open a bottle of vodka like you and go around bitching at everyone! How's that sound, huh? Maybe I'll go give a few people some black eyes as well? Sound mournful enough for you?"

We all just stared. James never snaps or gets emotional! James has never given much care to make ups and break ups either. He's always laid back unless he's really angry but that's only when he's sticking up for his friends or Lily or Al. We all just sat there in an awkward silence and ate our food quietly. Eric and I didn't smile at each other since we don't want to make him any more mad than he already is. James looked around at us and got up from his seat. We watched him go towards the Slytherin table and I thought he's go sit with Tyler or Casey but he went to Scorpius. We all watched him say something to him and we all watched Scorpius reach in his pocket and hand him something which James put in his pocket immediately and left the great hall.

"Cigarettes", Eric muttered.

"What?" I said shocked. "Please don't tell me he's making it a habit!"

"Don't worry, we'll make sure he doesn't", Eric said.

"I've never seen him get this emotional over a break up before", Ben whispered thoughtfully.

"I know", Louis agreed.

"Guys, I'll be right back", I said getting up from my seat.

"Where are you going?" Eric asked.

"Scorpius".

So I walked around the Gryffindor tables and headed towards the Slytherins. A bunch of my friends in that house waved at me. I even saw Missy Jones nod at me and I felt weird since she's the most popular girl in school! I felt important!

"Where are you going, Rose?" Kylie Montague asked me when I passed by her.

"Gonna go sit with Scorpius", I said.

Kylie and a bunch of people who had heard stopped and stared at me. They looked sort of confused, sort of alarmed and sort of shocked. I heard people looking at me and whispering when I made my way over to Scorpius's seat.

"Hi", I said to him as he made some room for me. I took a seat next to him and he just sat there with his angry expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Nothing", he muttered. "I hate this place".

I shook my head, "Scorpius…"

"What?" He said angrily.

"I hate when you hate something", I sighed sadly.

"You 'hate' too. You just said so".

"Stop being smart. You know what I mean. I don't like when you say you hate the school or the people or whatever. I don't like when you use that word".

"I don't hate you…"

"Really? Oh thank you! What an honor!" I said sarcastically. I saw Scorpius smile in amusement. I looked around and saw he had gotten the attention of a bunch of people. "Scorpius, why are they all looking?"

"Who cares", Scorpius shrugged before getting up from his seat.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Smoke", he said quietly.

I sighed and nodded. I wish Scorpius didn't smoke; I don't want him to get lung cancer or something! On the other hand, there's not much I can do about it since he's old enough to make his own decisions. I watched Scorpius leave.

"Hey, Rose", I turned around and saw the 5th year Slytherin, Norman Flint, who's on their quidditch team.

"Hi", I said.

"Rose, are you…are you friends with him?" he asked me.

"Friends with who?"

"Malfoy…Scorpius Malfoy?"

I stared at him awkwardly and sighed. "I don't know why everyone keeps asking me that. Yes I am friends with Scorpius but so what, it's no reason to stare and point".

"Sorry", he said turning pink out of embarrassment. "It's just that...he hates everyone but seems to care about you. He doesn't befriend anyone and so no one really talks to him either. It's weird. He can be really mean and violent as well. I've never seen him smile or anything either…"

"Yeah, I know", I said softly.

"Everyone's staring because we're all confused why he seems to like _you_. Scorpius doesn't like anyone…"

"Have you ever thought maybe it's because I made the effort to get to know him", I said a bit harshly.

"No", Norman shook his head. "It's not that. You're the only person at Hogwarts that Scorpius Malfoy cares for. It's got to be something else".


	29. A Bittersweet Lukewarm First Day

** Please review! It's so motivating!**

Once Scorpius came back, he and I tried to have a little more to eat but both us just ended up playing with our potatoes and lamb chops for the most part. I know that Lance's older sister on my mind was the reason for my lack of hunger. Scorpius's excuse was that smoking made him lose his appetite. I'm not sure if I'm too happy about that though. Scorpius wasn't too bothered by the staring and whispering of the students of Slytherin house. It was, however, getting on my nerves. So we left to go sit with my friends instead; James still didn't come back yet but the jovial mood had sort of returned. Except for Eric who kept glancing my way when I was talking to Ben and Scorpius. After dinner, we went to our common rooms to get settled in. Scorpius went to his to unpack but I wrote the Gryffindor password on a small slip of paper for him which he quickly and quietly pocketed.

Bonnie and I went to our sixth year girl's dorms and when we entered, things began to get awkward. Priya and Emma were already there and stopped their discussion as soon as we came in. They gave us a look and put the curtains around Emma's four poster bed where they were sitting. Bonnie snorted loudly but I just remained silent. We resorted to unpacking our trunks after that and I was putting my toiletries in my bedside table drawers when all of a sudden, we heard Emma's voice go unnecessarily loud.

"By the way, Priya", she practically shouted. "Did I tell you Zack Riches asked me to the first Hogsmeade trip?"

Bonnie and I stopped what we were doing and listened.

"Really?" Priya said loudly as well, "Wow, I always thought he liked someone else…"

Emma snorted, still inside the four-poster, "He knows that _someone_ isn't as innocent and perfect as she let's on. Not everyone's crazy about her you know".

I looked away and went back to unpacking. I had to admit I was slightly hurt. It wasn't that I liked Zack or something. It was just that I felt sort of betrayed by the girls I used to call my friends. I could feel Bonnie gazing at me until she said something very loud.

"You know, Rose", She practically yelled. "I was talking to Nick the other day and he said Zack Riches is horny as hell and needs to fuck really bad so he's looking for the easiest pussy he can find".

Suddenly the room grew quiet and still. I stared at Bonnie utterly shocked at how dirty she can be. I was even more surprised when she winked at me after saying that. I shook my head in disapproval but she didn't look too bothered and was just grinning trying to hold back her laughter.

"Bonnie! I should wash your mouth with soap!" I whispered harshly. She just shrugged with her hands and sniggered. We saw both Emma and Priya come out of the bed from behind the curtains and without even looking at us, they left the dorm. I sighed and turned to Bonnie. "Bonnie, seriously. I don't want to fight with them or anyone for that matter. So from now on let's just ignore". Bonnie pouted a little but then nodded in agreement.

After that, Amanda came back and we helped her unpack before the three of us went to the common room and lounged around for the rest of the evening on the sofas. Lucky for us, our first day is a Friday this year so that gives us tomorrow and Sunday to settle in before classes start on Monday. While in the common room with the rest of our friends, Ben, Amanda and I made plans to study together tomorrow to get a head start but I doubt that'll be happening. I asked my friends if it was alright if Scorpius joined us and none of them really cared so he came by for a bit. I know he is in Slytherin and this is the Gryffindor common room but it shouldn't be a problem because Al and his friends come by all the time. So Scorpius just sat there next to me and no one really saw this but he was stroking my palm with his thumb when our arms were sort of squished together. I looked at him questioningly but he just cocked an eyebrow at me like he doesn't know what the hell my look is supposed to mean. Like him stroking my hand is completely normal and he does it with every breath. It felt odd but somehow nice. Even though I was surrounded by my friends, it didn't feel like Scorpius was a friend; it felt like he was a part of me, a part that I was strongly confident in or a part I relied on to feel confident.

"Donovan Thomas!" I turned to see Louis yell out loud. "You cheater! I saw that". I saw that they were playing a game of exploding snap. I have no idea why they even play with each other, they always end up accusing each other of cheating and the game never concludes.

"What the fuck, mate!" Donny retorted.

"You fully skipped my turn!" Louis yelled.

"That was an accident!"

"Okay, boys!" Amanda said annoyed. "If you can't play nice, then don't play with each other".

"What are you? My _mother_?" Louis yelled at her.

"I think someone's had a long day…" She said.

"Again, you're not my mother!" He growled before turning back to the game.

"You know, what I'm actually kind of tired", Donny yawned.

"Of course you are!" Louis snapped, "You're losing". Louis got up from his seat and stormed off to his dorm. He'll come back five minutes later though, he always does this.

"What's up with him now?" I asked. I was still sitting quietly on the sofa next to Scorpius.

"He had an argument with his sister after dinner", Ben said in a quietly.

"Oh…", we all said looking at the she-devil sitting across the room with Vane and Towler.

"Hey, Malfoy!" We heard a loud voice and turned around to see an angry Ricky Coote still holding an icepack to his nose. "Get the fuck out of my common room!"

"Go away please, Ricky", I said annoyed but Scorpius just yawned like he didn't care.

"No! He's not supposed to be in here!"

"Coote stop it, you're being immature", I said sternly.

"Shut up, Weasley!"

"Hey!" Scorpius stood up all of a sudden. "You better learn some respect before I put your head through that wall!" I pulled Scorpius's arm to hold him back just in case Coote says something and he loses his temper.

"Fine! Whatever!" Coote yelled before stomping off into the sixth year boys dorms where Louis was right now. Thirty seconds later, Louis came back out.

"What's up with him?" He said jerking his thumb back at the door.

"He's being a little bitch", Bonnie said.

"Scorpius", I said. "You've got to learn to be polite or ignore".

"Stop telling everyone to ignore, Rose!" Bonnie defended him. I gave her a stern look. He's already such a handful; I don't need her backing him up. "Oh don't look at me like that! Rose, maybe you have the patience to take shit from people but the rest of us don't".

"I don't think that's a bad thing", Ben chimed in. "I mean not the part about taking shit from people. I meant, I think it's nice to have a patient and calm sense of mind; it makes life a hell lot easier to go through". Bonnie rolled her eyes at him.

Louis cleared his throat, "I'm pretty patient…I think".

"Right…" Bonnie said. "But you're difficult at times…forget that game of exploding snap?"

Louis turned pink.

"It runs in the family", I snorted and looked at Scorpius. I saw him gazing into open space before he snapped out of it seconds later. "I have to go back to my common room", he said looking at his watch.

"Okay, see you tomorrow then", I bid him goodbye and so did the rest of them.

We watched Scorpius leave through the portrait hole and in came Eric and Fred from the other side.

"Where were you two?" Ben asked when they came over to us.

"Room of requirement", Eric said.

"Doing _what_?" Ben cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Not much…" the two said exchanging a look. We all just stared at them for a second, then shrugged it off.

"Where's James?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, that reminds me, did he come back?" Eric asked.

"No, I thought he'd be with you guys", Ben said.

"No we haven't seen him since dinner", Fred said worriedly.

"You mean he hasn't come back yet?" I asked anxiously and Eric shook his head.

"Guys, it's almost curfew…" Donny said looking at his watch with a worried expression.

"Well…you lot better go look for him then!" Amanda insisted.

"Yeah", he agreed. Ben, Donny and Louis got up and we watched the five of them leave through the hole.

"Hey", Bonnie said once they left. "Have you guys ever noticed Ben's ass? It's so sexy in those designer jeans he wears!"

I gulped as I felt my stomach feel funny again.

"Bonnie!" Amanda giggled. "What is wrong with you today?"

"I'm just joking!" She insisted. "I'm going through that weird part of my cycle again…"

Amanda snorted, "The one where you're really turned on?"

"That's the one!" Bonnie rolled her eyes sarcastically

"If Louis ever finds out about yesterday, he'll jump off the astronomy tower!" Amanda laughed.

"Why, what happened yesterday?" I asked slightly confused.

"Party. Ben. Bonnie. Drunk in a closet! Remember?" Amanda laughed again but I didn't when I remembered that she told me this at Kings Cross.

"'Manda, stop", Bonnie blushed. "I was just drunk and bored. I mean I think he's hot but I don't really like him…I don't know…he's just really nice…"

"Louis is good looking too", I squeaked.

Bonnie looked at me curiously before saying, "Yeah I guess you're right. But he's really hot and popular…and experienced…"

"So", I demanded. Amanda and Bonnie raised their brows at me. I cleared my throat, "I mean…so", I said gently this time.

"I mean he might expect…you know. Like he might want to do stuff and if I say no…"

"Bonnie", Amanda said shaking her head. "You're being ridiculous. Louis isn't going to leave you for not wanting to have sex!"

"I know, I know…but still, he'll get bored of me. And I don't want to give myself to him so easily", she sighed. "I don't know if you guys know what I mean but I want him to work hard to go out with me. So he'll... I don't know, I guess so he'll value me or cherish me more".

I burst out laughing and I have no idea why. It wasn't even funny and I felt even more embarrassed when the two looked at me. I think I was laughing because I was nervous and then relieved, although I have no idea why I felt like that.

"Rose!" Amanda said. "Girl, what is wrong with you today?" She demanded.

"Sorry", I said in a small voice and took a breath. "Bonnie, where did you get that idea from?"

Bonnie shrugged.

"Well, just be careful", Amanda warned. "If you like him, then you're treading on dangerous grounds, you're plan could backfire and he could start looking elsewhere for some affection".

"Yeah, yeah, I know", she shrugged and laughed. "I highly doubt that".

"You never know", I said.

"Guys, I'm so tired, let's go to our dorm", Bonnie said as she yawned and stretched her arm.

"Yeah, me too", Amanda sighed as the two got up. "Coming, Rose?"

"Uh, I'm actually going to wait for them to come back with James…I want to make sure he's okay", I said half truthfully.

"Aaaaw, aren't you so damn sweet", Bonnie teased.

"Family matters", Amanda joked. "Okay, I guess we'll see you later".

With that, the two headed up the tower to the sixth year girl's dorms. I sighed and laid down on the couch to stretch my legs. So Bonnie still likes Louis which is good but she's intimidated by him which sucks. I don't get it though; he practically drools over her. She could easily wear the pants in that relationship but she's still nervous. I can tell she's not ready for sex and from the way she talks about him, it seems like Louis wants to…ew! I hate the fact that I know that about my cousin. Why does half of the Hogwarts population have to be the Weasley clan?

I yawned and looked at the clock above the fireplace; almost ten thirty and curfew's at eleven. Merlin, James isn't back yet! Where could he be? I don't want him to get in trouble…I mean, come on, it's the first day and he's a seventh year now. Detention on the second day of school; how pleasant. Not.

So I got up from the couch and decided I was going to have to go out and do some searching myself. Plus I was kind of bored and hoped I'd run into Ben, that could be fun. I noticed the Fat Lady of our portrait hole wasn't in her portrait so I could get out easily without her scolding me about curfews and causing a racket. I turned into the corridor on my right which is a smaller corridor and hardly patrolled. Actually, come to think of it, they never really patrol on the first day of school. I think it might be because the heads know that students are going to be sneaking around from the excitement of being back.

I remember Louis and I sneaking into the kitchens on our first night of our first year with James and Eric and this boy named Ed Ackerly that they used to be friends with. James wanted to introduce us to Hogwarts his style since it was our first day and we really didn't know anyone except our cousins. We also waited outside the Dungeons for Al if he wanted to come with us but he didn't come…Now that I remember, he said he wanted to play wizard's chess with a new friend he made at the feast…Scorpius. I passed by the room of requirement but of course; I didn't see a door since I wasn't in need at the moment. I had only discovered this room a couple of months ago. It was during my OWL's, the night before my History of Magic one. I got so fed up with studying that I became frustrated and piss-y so Ben secretly brought me here and inside was the exact replica of my family room at home. Complete with my favourite couch, our fireplace, the TV and the window across from the couch. I think around Easter was when Ben and I started getting closer. I had a crush on Eric then and I sort of tried to become closer with James' friends so I could get to know Eric better. I had never thought I would become such good friends with Ben. I also remember finding Scorpius out here one night and I think he was trying to get in. I remember he looked extremely run down that night, his eyes were red and swollen like he hadn't slept for days and he looked slightly pale standing there in his pajamas trying to get the door to reveal itself. I should've just stayed there instead of walking away, maybe I could have followed him inside, see what he's up to…

I saw the door leading to the North Tower and decided to check up there. I quietly went in so as to not wake the plump Professor Midgeon whose office and bedroom was inside the Divination class room which is the base of the North Tower…boy am I glad I didn't continue with Divination. She kept telling me my future husband's going to cheat on me while I'm pregnant…How bizarre is she? She told Bonnie that she's going to have a sex change and I think she once told Scorpius he's going to be in Azkaban for trying to rob Gringotts! Ha! I told my mum and she was sort of upset about that and told McGonagall who got mad and told Professor Midgeon that telling us about our future personal lives isn't part of the curriculum so we just went back to dream journals and tea leaves. I was walking up the spiral staircase passing by empty rooms and broom closets on my way up when I heard light thumping.

I turned around but no one was there. But I could swear I heard footsteps…whatever. I'm pretty sure James is at the top of the North Tower so I just keep walking up. Just then, as I pass the broom closet, I feel something grab my waist.

"Aaah—" I tried to scream but a hand covered my mouth. I looked down and saw it was a strong male's hand…Scorpius? If this is his idea of a joke, I swear I'll hex his balls off!

"Let m—" I tried to scream when the person loosened his grip a little to open the door to the broom closet and pulled me in. All of a sudden, I was pushed against the wall and I looked up and saw none other than a flushed Mr. Eric Wood giving me a goofy lopsided grin.

"Hi", He said running his hand through his hair. I looked at him, shocked, for and couple seconds. Then I slapped him. On the arm of course. "Ow!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you! What the hell are you doing grabbing me like some kidnapper? You almost gave me a heart attack, you ass!" I yelled without realizing that I was actually saying all these things to Eric Wood, my so-called, long-time crush. How am I not stuttering is really sort of an accomplishment.

"Sorry, I scared you", He looked at me grinning again.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"We found James, he's up there", Eric said pointing to the top of the tower.

"Well, is he alright?"

"Yeah he's fine, we're just having a little party up there", Eric grinned again.

"A _party_?" I eyed him. Is he _serious_?

"Yeah. Wanna come?"

"Uh… n-no thanks", I said immediately. There is no way I'm going to sit around and get wasted with a bunch of idiots. "Eric, I think I'm going to go now".

"Oh come on, please stay; I want to talk to you", He said shyly.

"Okay fine", I said.

"Rose, I pulled you in here so I could talk t—"

"Yeah, I figured", I rolled my eyes.

"Rose, I really, really, _really_ like y—"

"Right. Is that why you never bothered to call after the carnival?" I demanded. If he thinks I'm going to start this all over again, then he can think again. I'm not just some girl he can fool around with than leave her hanging.

"Rose, you never called _me_", He said.

"Eric, you're the one who said you liked me first and _you_ kissed _me_!" I said.

"Okay…so?" He shrugged.

I sighed. I don't care if I seem like a desperate loser but I have to ask him. "Eric why didn't you ask me out? I actually wanted a relationship with you…You could have asked me on a date or something…"

"Oh", He said as he eyed me. I think what I just said might not have occurred to him or something. "I didn't think you liked me all that much".

"Um, I sort of _told_ you I like you at the carnival!" God he's being so dumb!

"Uh…I-I don't know. I like you but it just seems like…I don't know…it seems like you're into Ben…or Mal—Scorpius…I don't know…"

"Scorpius and Ben are both my friends", I said. "Very good friends. That's it". But I felt heaviness in the pit of my stomach as I said that.

"I know I just thought…Rose, I like you so much. I think you're so pretty and nice and smart…I don't know if you still like me…" He rambled but I just listened. "I mean I'd love to take you out…if you want".

"I-I don' know…" I blanked out! I swear I had always dreamed of this moment and I had always known what I would say. So why did I feel so confused and stuck? "I-it's really late…I th-think I'm going to head back".

I saw Eric's face fall, "You don't really like me, do you?"

"No!" I quickly said. "I do. A lot in fact".

_I think_.

"I do", I said again firmly. "It's just…I'm a bit nervous, I've never had a boyfriend before except for Josh McLaggen an—"

"Wait, you went out with Josh McLaggen?" Eric asked as his face became serious all of a sudden.

"Y-yeah, it was stupid; only for a couple days…why?" I asked a bit taken aback.

"Did you guys become close…did you meet his friends?" Eric asked anxiously. Just then I remembered Josh's friends…Carbon, if I recall correctly.

"Eric why are you—"

"You're not still in contact with him anymore are you?" Eric demanded.

"No, but why ar—"

"Listen, Rose", Eric sighed. "Stay away from him, okay. He's not the same person you used to know".

"Eric, he's involved in a gang now, I _know_", I blurted.

"Oh…you do? Oh right! Malfoy must have told you…"

"Yeah and I know Scorpius used to be involved with them, but he's _not_ anymore".

"Did Scorpius tell you exactly _why_ he isn't involved with them anymore?"

"Uh, no", I said a bit confused. Why do I feel like there is something I don't know? "All I know is that Josh is part of a gang…led by some Carbon, I think…"

"You know Carbon?" Eric asked in a surprised way.

"Well, no…I mean I'm not acquainted with him; I just know who he is", I said.

"He used to go here".

"He was a Hogwarts student?" I said surprised.

"Yeah, do you remember when we were in fifth—well, you were in fourth year—there were these seventh year boys named Carr Bones, Brad Winston, Harv—"

"Yeah!" I blurted. I don't remember them but either I'm having Déjà vu or I've heard this speech before. Oh right, Damien on the Hogwarts Express. "I've heard about them".

"Well…Carbon's real name is Carr Bones".

WHAT?_ Of course! _Oh Merlin how could I have been so _stupid_? Carr Bones; Car-bon…it makes sense. Oh my goodness…so that disgusting perverted pig at Scorpius's cottage…he's the one responsible for hurting Adrianna? Is he Lance's cousin?

"Listen, Rose", Eric said seriously. "Just stay away from them, okay? They're bad news and I don't want you to get hurt".

"Eric, do you honestly think they're my _old buddies_ or something?" I snapped then sighed. "I just know who they are. That's it".

"Oh good", Eric sighed. "I thought maybe since you hang out with Mal—Scorpius that—"

"Scorpius is _not_ friends with them just so you know", I said sternly and slightly offended. "You think he'd introduce me to such people or something? He's not like that, you know".

"Sorry, I just thought…nevermind…I was just worried about you", I saw Eric take another breath and look at me. He smiled at me and I just continued to look at him curiously. "So how about that date now? First trip to Hogsmeade?"

"Um…I don't know…" I blushed and tried to hold back my smile. To be honest, Eric's the first boy that's ever asked me out on a proper date. I looked down and stared at my shoes but then all of a sudden, I felt Eric's hands cup my face and he pulled me in for a kiss. It wasn't with tongue or anything. It was really sweet and…he smelled nice, like vanilla and coffee—like Vanilla Latte!

"Does that help make the decision easier?" he grinned at me.

"Sort of", I smiled. It all felt so surreal despite the fact that it's happened before. "I-it would be easier i-if you k-kiss me again…I mean I'd-I'd kn-know for sure…" Suddenly, Eric burst out laughing. "What?" I asked slightly confused but he just kissed my lip.

"See, that's why I like you so much, Rose. You're very sweet and innocent and funny", he said as he sighed and leaned his forehead against mine.

I blushed again. "I think a date sounds nice".

"Is Hogsmeade okay or somewhere else?"

"Hogsmeade is fine", I sighed in bliss.

"Great! Now we just need everyone's blessing", he said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

"Who cares?" I said. "Don't worry about them".

"I'm not. I don't care. It's just James…he can be so annoying at times", Eric said.

"Oh whatever! He'll come around", I shrugged. Eric and I both sighed and just smiled at each other for the moment. It was perfect…

"Oy, Eric!"

We heard someone's voice call Eric's name so we both rushed out the broom cupboard to see who it was. We looked up and saw it was Fred; he was with Warrington and both were coming down the long staircase.

"Oy, Woody…My, my, what do we have here? Is that Rose?" Warrington called down. I blushed.

"Eric did you just come out of a broom cupboard with my cousin?" Fred asked as the two reached us.

"Uh…um…" A very flushed Eric began before I cut him off.

"Uh, I think I'm gonna head back to the common room", I quickly said.

"Okay…uh…bye, Rose!" Eric said and I hurried down the spiral stone staircase. But I swear I heard Casey Warrington and Fred mocking him.

"I didn't think you had the balls".

"Shut up!"

…

"Guys! Wake up! Bon! 'Manda!" I yelled excitedly when I reached my dorm. I also saw Priya and Emma stir in their sleep and I saw both of them open their eyes to look at me but I didn't really care.

"Rose, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Amanda asked as she sat up.

"This better be good 'cause I was having a really good dream!" Bonnie said annoyed as she sat up as well.

"Guys guess what?" I said excitedly.

"What?" Amanda shrugged.

"_Guess_", I whined.

"I don't know", Bonnie said annoyed. "Malfoy came out of the closet or something!"

I frowned at her. "No! For your information, he is _not_ _gay_. And this isn't about him; it's about me".

"_You're_ _gay_?"

"No, dumbass! Eric Wood asked me out!"

"What?" Both of them looked alert and excited all of a sudden and I felt so giddy just looking at their facial expressions.

"Merlin, Rose! How, when, oh my gosh tell us everything!"

"Guys, I can't believe it either. I mean he's extremely hot and popular and I'm just…I don't know sort of average".

"You're not average", Amanda said. "You're beautiful".

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "'Manda why are you so corny".

"Still…I mean, if it was one of you I'd understand", I said.

"Rose, you're very pretty but you need to be confident in yourself", Amanda said as I sat on her bed. Bonnie also crawled out of hers and joined us.

"Yeah, Amanda's right. I mean he's a seventh year and he asked _you_ out. You must have _something_", Bonnie teased me. I slapped her lightly on the arm and chuckled.

"Wow", I whispered to myself. "We kissed…again. But it was different this time. In a good way", I rambled. "It was really romantic. And we talked and he seems to care about me…"

I blushed when I realized my two friends were giggling at me and sighed. I told them exactly what happened back there and they listened with full attention, doing oohs and aahs in the right places. I also saw Priya and Emma looking at us from the corner or their eyes obviously trying to listen in.

Finally, I finished my recap and yawned since I was so tired today. It was near midnight so I crawled in to my own bed. We said goodnight to each other and I saw Emma and Priya who had been listening the whole time also fall asleep. As I lied there, a thought hit me. How would I tell Scorpius this? I don't expect him to disapprove or anything but he'd definitely have a problem with me giving more of my time to Eric now and less time to him. I was too tired to tackle this right now and so I decided to save that for the morning.

…

"Guys, look, there's Arielle with Roxanne, she seems really upset", I whispered to my Amanda, Donny and Ben.

It was around eight when Amanda and I came down for breakfast. Today, the great hall was very empty except for a couple students from each house having breakfast. Since it was a Saturday, everyone was sleeping in. Amanda and I decided to get up early since we want to transition back into school routine and fifteen minutes later, Ben and Donny also joined us for breakfast. At the Gryffindor table were just us four, my cousin Roxanne who was sitting with her friend Arielle and a couple of younger students and the Head Girl who was from our house. I was actually quite surprised that I woke up early since I was too excited to sleep last night.

"I think it's about Al breaking up with her", I whispered. "I feel so bad for her; it's not even her fault".

"Al can be so dumb at times", Amanda agreed.

We watched Arielle and Roxanne finish their breakfast and hurry out of the Great Hall. I sighed and a minute later, I saw Professor Longbottom, Arielle's dad and our Herbology teacher and head of house approach us with a clipboard and some papers.

"Good morning, Miss Weasley, Miss Jordan, Mr. Thomas and Mr. Sloper", He greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning, sir", we all said.

"Did you all settle in fine last night?"

"Yes, sir".

"Excellent! Now I have your timetables here of your NEWT courses. Let's see", he said as he went through the pile. "Ah, Miss Jordan, here we are. From our discussion last May, I understand that you're looking into internship at St. Mungo's after graduation next year?"

"Yes, professor", Amanda said.

"You want to become a healer?"

"Yes, professor".

"Wonderful choice and I believe with your grades, young lady, you are well on your way. Now, I have noticed you are taking seven courses. Am I correct?"

"Yes, Professor. I'm taking the seven core courses only. No electives".

"I realize that you have done well enough on your OWL's to qualify for the NEWT courses but Miss Jordan, you don't need Astronomy and History of Magic for your chosen field".

"I don't? But I thought…"

"No. All you need is Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology and Defense".

"Oh…"

"It's up to you whether you want to drop. If you are set on Healing, then I would suggest your drop the other two to reduce the workload so you can focus more on, let's say, Herbology and Potions but if you still are unsure about your career, keep them and leave your options opened".

"Okay, I'll think about that".

"Here's your timetable and you have till Sunday evening to make changes if you wish to do so".

"Thanks professor", Amanda said as she took her time table.

"Mr. Thomas", he turned to Donny, "You wish to pursue the same career as your friend here?"

Ben and I both snorted quietly at the word 'friend'. Amanda shot us a look when the professor glanced at us so we quietly went back to our cereal. Professor Longbottom said the same thing to Donny and once he was done he turned to me. He looked at my timetable and chuckled.

"Uh…" I said confused.

"Still haven't decided on a career I presume, Rose?"

"No, professor", I said quietly.

"I can see that you've selected every single course offered here", he said.

I felt my face become hot and I'm sure I look like a bright strawberry.

"How about Gringotts. It's a well respected career and you could even travel the world if you're interested?"

"Uh…" I said. "I don't think so…I'm not that great with numbers…or goblins".

"Oh well…how about the ministry or St. Mungo's or even Hogwarts?"

"Not very into politics, blood makes me gag and I'm not that good at teaching", I said. I know I sound really difficult but I'm not trying to be. I just don't know what I want to know but I do know it's not any of the options my head of house is giving me.

"I see", Professor Longbottom said. "Well then, I guess you're on the same boat as your friend Mr. Sloper here".

I saw Ben blush. "I don't know what I want to do professor", he muttered.

"You're in your final year Mr. Sloper. If you're interested in the Ministry, I could arrange for a student tour for you for next Sunday. It may help if you go and explore the different departments and office atmosphere…"

"Uh…no thanks, sir. I think I'm going to look into my dad's company…"

"That's a great decision, Benjamin, but I want to remind you your father chose a muggle career under very different circumstances. You on the other hand may benefit from keeping your options opened…

"Uh…okay", Ben said as he took his timetable.

"Where were we, Miss Weasley? Ah, yes…" he looked at my timetable. "So as I was saying I think it's silly that you're taking all these courses. It would be easier for you if you could narrow them down as it'll decrease the unnecessary workload. I'll give you your time table for now but you have until tomorrow evening to come by my office to make changes which I strongly recommend you do".

"Thanks professor", I said as I took my timetable. The professor bid us goodbye and left after that.

"Guys, I have no idea what I want to do!" I whined as I stabbed a piece of sausage with my fork.

"Well, what are you interested in?" Amanda asked me.

"I don't know", I shrugged.

"Let's try this", Donny offered. "What are you _good_ at?"

"I don't know…" I said again. I saw Donny and Amanda exchange a look. "Merlin!" I yelled frustrated. "Why can't I just find a rich guy to marry?"

Amanda slapped her head to her forehead and Donny snorted, "Marry Ben, his dad's loaded".

Ben looked up from his breakfast. "Don't think I wouldn't want a prenup", he joked.

I looked at him sternly. "Guys, it's not funny".

Actually, I sort of want to marry Eric…speaking of Eric, I should probably tell my friends soon. I'm not really worried about what they'll think. I'm just slightly worried about Scorpius's reaction. I mean, he can be kind of possessive at times. On the other hand, I've been thinking since morning whether I should go on that date with Eric. I'm double-minded; I mean, I know I said yes and kissed him—and liked it—but for some reason I get this nauseating feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I think about it.

"Well, I have to go", Amanda announced as she stood up.

"Where?" Donny asked as he set his now empty plate aside.

"Gotta go see Madam Pince. I lost my library card so I have to get another one".

Donny got up as well, "I'll come with you. I need to renew mine".

The two said goodbye to Ben and me and we watched them walk out the great hall holding hands and whispering things in each other's ears. I sighed. I had to admit, I was slightly jealous; they're life is so sweet and simple and stress-free. They have nothing to worry about except school and they never have to feel alone because they have each other.

"What are you staring at, Rose?" Ben turned his head to follow my gaze.

"They're so cute…"

"Yeah", Ben nodded in agreement.

"By the way, Ben, I have to tell you something", I said as I thought now would be good time to tell him about Eric. Great, the butterflies are kicking in!

"What?" He said as he bit off a piece of toast. Merlin, that boy eats a lot! Okay back to the point.

"Last night, I went out looking for James". I stopped.

Ben raised an eyebrow at me, "That's great…"

"Well, I was in the North Tower and I sort of ran into Eric and—"

"_Good morning!" _

I turned to see Albus and Damien standing next to us. "Oh hi, guys".

"Ugh! I had the worst night ever!" Albus said as he plopped down next to us.

"Why?"

Damien sighed, "He had a dream about Arielle and now he thinks he should get back with her".

"Oh God, Albus! You are such a drama queen!"

"It runs in their family", Ben snorted. Al shot him a look.

"So where's everyone else, still sleeping?" Damien asked.

"Yeah", Ben replied. "We went to bed pretty late last night. I just woke up early 'cause I gotta get my arms back in shape for Quidditch season…and I was hungry".

Damien chuckled. "Yeah, we went to bed pretty early except Arielle barged in at two in the morning and started yelling at this one here", Damien jerked his thumb at Al. "Woke us all up".

"How did she get in to your dorms at two in the morning?" I asked.

"Casey and Tyler let her in", Damien said. "Apparently she was waiting outside the dungeons for an hour before those two came back to the common room".

"Yeah", Ben said, "We went back to our dorms around two".

"Mark and Lance were pretty mad though. They called her a crazy bitch for waking them up at two in the morning so she just pushed Al and stormed off".

"Wow", I gasped. "Who knew sweet, innocent Arielle could be so vicious…"

"I don't blame her", Al spoke up. "I'm such a dick!"

"Well at least you've realized now", Ben teased him. Al threw a cube of cheese at him.

"Mark and Lance should be down soon", Damien said looking down at his watch. "We're thinking of going to Hogsmeade today".

"Yeah, it's really nice out", I said looking up at our enchanted ceiling.

"So what did you have to tell me, Rose?" Ben asked.

"Oh…um…oh! I almost forgot", I said. "Where's Scorpius, guys?" I asked the two. Yes! I'm the best subject-changer ever! If there's such a thing. "He must have been really mad last night when Arielle barged in…" I said.

Just then, Damien and Al exchanged a serious look.

"Uh…Rose", Al said. "Scorpius is probably not going to be before noon…or maybe afternoon…"

"What? What do you mean?" I asked slightly confused.

"He got in pretty late last night", Al said.

"Like quarter past four", Damien said.

"_What_? What was he doing till four AM in the morning?"

"We have a hunch", Al said. "When he came into the dorm, he was…he was pretty unstable".

"_Unstable_?"

"Yeah he was bumping into things, knocking things over, muttering to himself", Damien said.

Al looked at my confused face and sighed, "Rose, Scorpius is going to be very hungover today. He came back late last night…very wasted".

Wait…Did Damien and Al just tell me Scorpius came to the dorm at four in the morning _drunk_?


	30. Mine To Love, Mine To Hurt

**IMPORTANT: Hi Guys, I need to address a review from Tara777 and I think all of you reading this story should know this.**

**To Tara: Thank you for your lovely review. It was sweet and I'm flattered that you're going to recommend my story to another writer because I work very hard on it. You mentioned in your review about the damages of Mirijuana and Cigarettes.**

"**...marijuana aka pot or weed, is no where NEAR as harmful or addictive as SMOKING cigarettes is. Smoking kills, but marijuana is not even that harmful(please do some research that is not biased). Crack, and other drugs are extremely addictive and ruin peoples life, but weed...seriously, it's not that horrible. I am personally against weed because I don't approve of ANY form of intoxication, including getting high. BUT, ciggaretts are a million times more addictive, dangerous, and horrible than a simple dose of weed. I just wanted to clear that up, because it was a bit annoying..."**

**Although I agree with you about cigarettes, from my research, I have discovered weed is harmful. The PSYCHOLOGICAL effects can drain a person and ruin their life. Weed is addictive and can easily cause one to let their life spiral out of control because many times, people don't have to power to stop. It also has a falsely exhilarated effect that causes one to lose their senses if they've had too much, and once they're sober, they are depressed. Weed is also ILLEGAL. Mirijuana is a gateway drug to other drugs which is why Rose worries so much about James and her friends doing it. You may think smoking is harmful for your body and I agree, it definitely is, but one can still lead a sober life. Smoking may be harmful for your body but I believe the psychological effects of marijuana are worse (imo) because they ruin your life. I know this because I have experiences with both smokers and weed smokers. I've lived with a smoker all my life and he's a very successful businessman. I've also worked with people who've been victims of marijuana as well as other drugs (one of them is going to adult public school to finally get his high school diploma many years later)**. **Why do you think Scorpius started off as a teenager in therapy? **

**To Tara: Please don't assume that my research is biased because this story is not just from secondary research, and it's from experiences as well; mine and other peoples. And finally, my story is from the point of view of a sheltered girl who has never had experiences with substance abuse and so her opinions are manipulated by what she is taught by others (for example, her parents). Rose hasn't the slightest clue about drugs except that they are 'bad'. Thanks for your opinion and feel free to pm me if you have any questions or if you disagree because my story contains some sensitive topics and I completely understand if you want to talk about it. And I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that, love, so apologies for that *kisses*. **

**I know you all are going to love this chapter! Consider it as a gift from me to you for sticking with me, Rose and Scorpius for the past year and 30 chapters! Happy Reading, Everyone!**

It was after lunch now I had just finished helping Ben unpack in his dorm. Actually he just sat around like a bum on his bed while I folded his clothes put his things in his dresser. The only thing he did was put undergarments in his underwear drawer and only because it wouldn't be entirely appropriate for me to do it. To be honest, my main reason for helping him was that I'd get to go to his dorm and maybe see Eric but he was still sleeping along with James. They also have another boy in their dorm; a smart but slightly antisocial boy named Ed Ackerly who was arguing in the washroom with Fred who apparently forgot to flush.

"He does it on purpose to drive Ed nuts", Ben had told me from his bed where he was tossing a ball in his hand.

I rolled my eyes, _typical Fred_, and went back to folding Ben's pants, "I've never met anyone lazier than you, Ben, who does this for you at home?" I asked as I folded his jeans from last night.

"I'm not lazy! I'm too tired...oh and I do it myself. I used to get the maid to do it for me".

"What happened?"

"My dad found out and got mad at me for being irresponsible. He told the maid she doesn't have to do my unpacking for me", he rolled his eyes.

"Good! That's smart of your dad".

Ben snorted. "Thanks for helping me, though; you're the best, Rosie!"

"I know", I said cutely.

Once I finished, I went to sit on Ben's bed with him and played cards with him until we heard groaning coming from Eric's bed, "Is that Rose?" He said groggily as he lifted his head.

"Hi", I blushed as I walked over to him. "It's me".

"Rose...Was last night a dream or...did we kiss?" He said as touched my hand.

"We ki—"

"You kissed?" Ben coughed.

"Who kissed?" James asked hazily as he sat up.

"Eric and Rose", Ben said.

"Why do you people keep doing that?" James snarled. "Geez! This is a _school_, not a whore-house!"

"Shut up, dick!" Eric snapped. I watched him sit up and sigh, "Thank Merlin it's Saturday", he muttered. "I have headache".

"You guys should clean up and come down to eat, lunch is almost over", I said looking at my watch.

"Lunch?" Eric said, "What time is it?"

"It's almost two", I said.

"Shit!"

After that, Fred, Eric and James freshened up and got dressed as quickly as they could so Ben and I accompanied them to lunch. We also ran into Al and Damien there who had come back from Hogsmeade claiming all the stores were closed today. So they joined us at the Gryffindor table where we sat and ate lunch while chatting away.

"So I'm thinking of dropping all my electives except for arithmancy", I announced as I went through my time table.

"Didn't you, like, want to keep your options opened or something?" Ben asked as he took a bite of his sandwich...even though he already had lunch with me only an hour ago. Merlin, he can eat!

"Yeah but my options are still open. I'm keeping all my core courses", I said.

"Yeah that's probably a good idea", Al agreed.

"I'm sure you'll do well in whatever course you choose", Eric smiled at me. "You're really smart".

"I don't care what courses you take, Rose, but your _better_ do well", James said warningly.

I cocked a brow at him. What is he, my _father_?

"I'm just saying..." he swallowed his bite. "...Because you're the only good keeper in our house and I can't afford to have you be forced to quit 'cause of shitty grades".

"Tryouts haven't even happened!" Al snarled. I think he's still mad at James for calling him a loser from when he took his captainship way too seriously.

"James, worry about yourself, I'm always the one who ends up tutoring you", I shot at him. "And I'm a year younger!"

James turned pink while his friends sniggered at him.

"So Professor Bole approached me the other day", Damien cleared his throat. "He wants me to be head of the Wizard's Chess Club".

I shot James and his friends a look when they snorted and sniggered.

"What the fuck?" James said obnoxiously, "Yeah...I'm not hanging out with you anymore if you accept…just saying".

"I'm not!" Damien said in his defense. "I have other things to focus on", he muttered.

"Can I tell them?" Al said to him. We all looked at them confused.

"No", Damien snorted.

"Tell us what?" Fred said.

"You're going for _Gobstones_ now?" James asked sarcastically.

Just because they're the athletes doesn't mean every other club in this school is a waste of time. "It's really not that funny you know", I said firmly. "I'm thinking of joining the Magical History Council".

"No you're not!" Ben choked on his sandwich. "You _hate_ History!"

Okay, true, I just made that up. I turned slightly pink and Eric chuckled. I felt his leg touch my ankle but he immediately pulled it away when James spoke up.

"So tell us, Damien, what exactly are your extra-curricular activities?"

"Fine!" Damien said annoyed.

Al burst, "Damien's going to be a model!"

"What?" We all said. Damien rolled his eyes.

"Yeah!" Al told us excitedly, "It's going to be in New York this Christmas!"

"Wow!" I gasped. Damien blushed.

"What are you? Homosexual?" James laughed.

"Shut up!" I snapped at him. "I think that's so cool, what are you going to model for?"

"This poster for a new television series starting next fall in America", He said.

"So you're starring in it or something?" Eric asked clearly impressed.

"No! _Imagine_...I'm just going to be in the promotional poster in a small corner somewhere with a bunch of other people".

"So what's this show about?" Fred asked.

"A bunch of nineteen-year-old rich Italian-American Design students in New York City that go to some big shot university. There's a lot of stupid drama in it.", Damien shrugged. "I'm just in the poster in a small corner with a bunch of other people".

_Italian American…_Déjà vu?

That's so cool!" I said.

"Yeah...I guess", James said.

Damien shrugged but I continued to beam at him so he blushed again…sort of like my Scorpius…

"So where's my boy Malfoy?" James said. "Haven't seen him today. I gotta talk to him—thank him...you know".

"Coincidence, much? Wow, I was just thinking the same thing", I said. "I think he's still sleeping and...lunch is almost over", I looked down at my watch. "Should I go wake him up?"

I don't want Scorpius to miss lunch; he didn't eat much last night either. And if he sleeps in this much, how is he supposed to transition back to school routine?

"Yeah", Damien said, "I could come with you if you like".

"Oh, um, it's fine, just tell me your password".

"Our password is Snakes and Ladders", Al whispered to me.

"Okay thanks" I said. I got up and was about to head out until I stopped and grabbed a ham and cheese sandwich and wrapped it in a napkin in case we don't make it back in time.

I caught Eric's eye and I was about to give him a smile but I noticed he wasn't smiling at me as I headed away.

I walked past the marble staircase to the stairs leading to the dungeons. I shivered slightly as I walked down. It was slightly cold in here but thank goodness we have fireplaces down here. My dad said when he was here; it was usually cold and kind of dirty down here. He said he could see his breath during potions class. He also said he almost failed potions because he couldn't pay attention since his brain was frozen half the time. Ridiculous if you ask me but that's Ronald Weasley. But I always thought the Slytherin dungeon was cozy…in its own Slytherin way of course! The Slytherin Common room is really cool because part of it's under Black Lake and creatures can be seen swimming around from the windows. Personally, I'm glad I'm not Slytherin; Green lighting would be hard to get used to.

"Hi, Rose!" Monica and Kylie, who were sitting on the couch talking, say to me when I enter the common room.

"Hi" I say to them. "How are you two?"

"Great! What are you doing down here?" Kylie asked me.

"Just came by to see Scorpius", I smiled. "Have you seen by any chance?"

"Malfoy? Oh right, you guys are friends..." Kylie said.

"I think he's still sleeping", Monica said. "I went in their dorm after lunch to get my book back from Lance and he was still sleeping like a baby".

"Oh okay, thanks! See you later!" So I walked through the tunnel that leads to the dorms and just then I bumped into someone.

"Sorry!" I quickly said and looked to see who it was.

"Watch it!"

To my surprise, it was none other than Dominique. And I think she just came out of the seventh year _boy's_ dorm…?

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Why do you care?" She snarled.

"I don't, just asking", I muttered. She huffed and walked away. Weird.

I went to the sixth year boy's dorm. I knocked on the door but I got no reply so I turned the knob quietly and tip-toed in.

It was empty.

"Scorpius", I said. I walked in and tried to see which one of the empty beds was Scorpius's. It was easy; all the other beds were made while his was the unmade one with a quilt that had a very royal looking 'M' emblem. M for Malfoy?

I put Scorpius's sandwich on his bedside table and set on his bed. His quilt was soft and satiny. It must be a dream to sleep on. My eyes fell upon his nightstand. I wonder what Scorpius keeps in his bedside drawer… I shouldn't look, it _is_ private…but it's only me…

I opened the drawer. It wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. I mean he is kind of different from other boys after all. I mean if I went into James bedside drawers, I'd probably find magazines with women wearing little or no clothes or if I look in Ben's it would probably be a bunch of electronic devices or magazines of expensive cars or something but Scorpius was different. To begin with, it was really messy so I had to fiddle around in there quite a bit. When I looked deeper, I saw that it really wasn't as interesting as I thought it might be. I came across bunch of folded papers, a couple boxes of cigarettes, lighters, pens, some keys, the photo of his parents' wedding that he showed me on the train, his wand, his cell phone, chewing gum, his wallet…and that was about it—except for something silver and shiny that caught my eye at the very back behind the papers. It was at the very back so I moved some of his stuff aside and pulled it out.

I gasped.

It was a charm bracelet. _My_ charm bracelet. My wrist began to tingle...I remembered this was the very bracelet I wore to visit him in the hospital with Al in July. I looked down at my wrist. I still had the marks from when he gripped me so tightly the charms cut through my skin and my wrist bled. I felt slightly sick as the memory appeared in my vision like film.

But why did _Scorpius_ have this? How did he get it anyway? I had the bracelet on when I went home after that…maybe he took it when he came over; the night he slept at my house…Nonetheless, why did he take it? I'm not sure whether I should consider it a good thing or not.

"Rose!"

I jumped when the door of the washroom opened and there stood Scorpius in with his wet hair and a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Hi", I said almost quietly. Scorpius just stood there looking at me with furrowed eyebrows. "I brought you lunch".

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"Nothing, I—" I tried to say but I realized I was still holding the bracelet. Should I put it back…I don't want to make him mad. I don't want him to think I'm stealing…but it's mine anyway. So I just stood there holding it in my hand confused as hell.

"_Why_ are you going through my things?" He demanded again as he came closer.

"I-I wasn't", I lied but he could tell I was lying. Why am I such an _idiot_?

"Don't touch my stuff", He snarled at me.

"O-Okay", I said in a small voice. I couldn't help but add, "But, uh, this sort of, uh belongs to me, I think".

"Fine! Just take it and get out of here!" He said annoyed.

"N-no, it's okay, you can keep it", I said quickly as I put it back in the drawer. My eyes fell upon his sandwich. "I brought you something to eat. Lunch is over now".

"I don't want it", he said immediately.

"But—"

"I don't want it, Rose. Stop pestering me", He said through gritted teeth.

Something was definitely the matter. Why would Scorpius be angry for no reason? So I walked closer to him and tried to touch his hand. "Scorpius, are you alright?"

He pulled his hand away and turned around to face the other way. "Rose, I need to be alone…just go away".

"But why? What happened?" I asked.

"Rose, I can't tell you—I have to go somewhere!" he said facing me again.

"Where? You can tell me", I insisted.

"No", he said firmly. "You can leave now".

So I moved closer to him and put arm around his, "But Scor—"

"I SAID _NO_! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" He yelled with wide, angry eyes.

All of a sudden, Scorpius had pushed me back by my shoulders and I collided with the dresser. "Aaah!" I cried in fear and from the pain that erupted in my back.

My heart was pounding loudly as Scorpius had his hands on my shoulders. I was shocked. I couldn't believe what had just happened in a split second. I could see he was breathing heavily as well. Like he always does when he's trying to contain his anger.

"I was only trying to help", I whimpered quietly when I managed to get some of my voice back.

"I DON'T _WANT_ YOUR FUCKING HELP!" He yelled. "My life is already fucked enough as it is. I don't need you bringing your stupid self here and screwing everything up!"

I felt my eyes sting, nose tingle, and my lips quiver. What's he being mean to me for? I don't even know what I did.

I was crying by now. "Scorpius, my back..." I groaned.

Scorpius continued to breathe heavily and I tried to move but my back hurt all of a sudden and I groaned really loudly.

"Oh fuck!" Scorpius said looking alarmed. "Rose, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to...fuck!"

I pressed my lips tightly and kind of nodded. Scorpius took my arms and pulled me closer to him. "Does it hurt?"

I nodded again and turned my tear-stained face away. I can't believe he just pushed me like that...like he has no regard for my being. "Let go of me", I whispered in a half-frightened voice.

He didn't let go. "I shouldn't have..." He said gently as he put his bare arms around me and rubbed my back. "It's just...everything's just...I can't even explain", he whispered in my hair.

I gathered some courage and pulled away from the hug. Scorpius watched me as I grabbed his sandwich and threw it in the trashcan on my way out of his dorm. I sniffled again and tried to wipe my tears as I walked through the tunnel leading into the Slytherin common room. I had my head down so when I bumped into someone, I didn't know until I looked up that it was Al.

"Hey Rose, what's—waoh! Rose, you alright?" He said.

"Yeah I'm—"

"Why are you crying, what's wrong?"

"No-nothing", I said, "It's nothing".

"No, it's definitely something. Is it Scorpius?"

I didn't say anything.

"It's Scorpius, isn't it? Did you guys fight or something?"

"Yeah but it was nothing", I quickly said. "I think I want to go back to my common room".

I wanted to hurry away, but all of a sudden, as I was about to take another step forward, I jerked my back slightly and I felt a piercing spasm, which made me cry out.

"Rose, are you okay?" Al said as he immediately rushed to my side and helped me balance.

"My spine hurts", I groaned.

"Rose, what happened?" He said as he helped me to the Common Room. "Sit on the couch".

"Oh, hey, Rose…woah, what happened", Kylie, who was still in the common room with Monica, quickly moved over to make room for me.

I slowly lowered myself on the couch, with the help of Al, and leaned back and sighed. "That's better".

"What happened?" Al asked me worried. "Was it just all of a sudden? That's weird".

"Yeah…" I said looking down slightly. I think my sudden back pain might be from colliding with Scorpius's dresser, when he pushed me. I felt my eyes stinging again and I had to remind myself not to cry, especially not in front of Kylie Montague and Monica Bletchley who were watching me.

"Rose, do you want to lie down?" Kylie asked me.

"Uh, sure", I said. She and Monica stood up and moved to another available couch on the other side of the room.

"Thanks for helping me, Al", I muttered once they were of earshot.

Al nodded. "Did you get a chance to talk to Scorpius?"

I sighed and nodded.

"What did he say about last night?"

"He didn't say anything", I sighed.

"Did you ask him?"

"Yeah, but I don't think he wants to share", I said again. I gulped as I tried to hold back my tears again. After all the sneaking and hiding, my parents found out. I was practically imprisoned and when my mum finally gave me the green light, Scorpius just pushed me away. All that misery for nothing. And what about last night in our common room when he was stroking my palm and defending me. I don't understand, Scorpius claims to trust me but he can't tell me what's going, he'd rather push me against the dresser and almost break my back?

"Rose, what's wrong?" Al asked again in a serious expression.

"Nothing!" I snapped. "Leave me alone. Stop asking so many questions".

"Did you and Scorpius fight or something? You're being weird".

"Albus, I have a piercing pain in my fucking back and you're accusing me of being weird...just stop, okay...stop being so...selfish and mean..." I was crying now and I couldn't help it.

"Rose, did Scorpius do something to you?" Al's eyes grew wide open. "Rose, listen, you can tell me...you know that, right?"

"No, he didn't do anything", I said. "It's me. I'm just so delusional...and so bloody..._optimistic_!"

"What? Where is this coming from...?"

"It's true", I wiped my tears. "I live in my own fantasies where everything's perfectly normal. I'm so thick I can't see past anything or anyone. I'm so stupid!"

"Did Scorpius do something that upset you?" Al paused. "He did, didn't he? I know it. I know you very well, Rose...and as matter of fact, I know him quite well and I know he did something. I told you from the start, Rose, remember? I told you he can be crazy at times".

"Al, you can't tell anyone", I warned. "Please".

"I won't. Just tell me exactly what happened".

"My mother's going to be so mad..."

"No one's going to tell your mum, just tell me what happened, Rose?"

I took a breath. "He pushed me into the dresser", I whispered.

"WHAT?" Al said loudly and bunch of students turned their heads. He looked at me in shock for a few seconds until his expression changed from shocked to angry to furious. Al gritted his teeth, "How dare he fucking touch—"

Just then Al jumped up from his seat. "Al, wait!" I said as some more students turned to look. I stood up as well; in a lot of pain albeit. Al began to storm down the tunnel to the dorms and I followed after him and called for him to wait but I was quite slow because I had to walk in a funny posture. "Albus, stop...please! Don't say anything to him", I begged. "Please!"

"Are you afraid of him, Rose?" Al yelled before turning to his door and storming in.

"What the fuck!" I heard Scorpius say. In a mere couple seconds, I came to Al's dorm and rushed in as fast as I could.

"Al, stop!" I cried out when I saw he was gripping Scorpius by the collar and yelling in his face.

"You're pathetic!" Al yelled. "You're tough, huh? Hitting a girl half your size! Don't you ever touch Rose again!"

"Al, please..." I begged as I tugged at his arm.

Scorpius didn't really say anything. He just stood there as Al yelled in his face. It was obvious that Scorpius could easily shove Al off, he was stronger and bigger but he didn't fight back at all.

"I can't believe she sees any good in—"

"Al, shut up!" I yelled. Suddenly, the room grew still and quiet and I sighed.

Scorpius finally spoke up looking straight at Al, "Are you done now?" Al glared at him and gripped his collar tighter until Scorpius easily pushed his hand away. He turned to me, "So you're telling on me now?" He snarled. "Wonderful, what is he? Your fucking father?"

"Watch your mouth, Malfoy, she's my family!" Al yelled.

"I don't fucking care", Scorpius said without a second thought as he began buttoning his pants and buckling his belt. "I have better things to do".

"Al let's go", I insisted. He glared at Scorpius but then let me pull him along. I ushered him out the dorm but turned my head to give Scorpius one last look. He glared at me at first and then exhaled heavily before turning away to put his wallet and things in his pockets.

After everything that happened, I couldn't help but wonder where he was going...But then I reminded myself not to care. He doesn't seem to care about me either so why should I. I wiped my tears and tried to remain strong but I was in a lot of pain.

"How's your back, Rose", Al asked as we left the common room.

"It doesn't hurt as much", I lied. We walked along the dungeons, passing the potions classroom where I'll be Monday morning. "I might need help getting upstairs though".

Al nodded.

"Al, he's not usually like this", I said.

"Who, Scorpius?"

"Yeah...there's something going on, I know it", I insisted.

"I know...but I don't care, Rose. But I'm not going to let him hurt you. You're like my little sister—"

"I'm only four months younger than you!" I half-laughed.

"Still! You're my cousin, we're family and we've got to watch out for each other".

"Thanks...you're really sweet. But I have to talk to you about something too", I said.

He looked at me curiously, "What?"

"Arielle".

"What? What about her?"

"You have to do something, I saw her this morning and she's a mess", I said.

"Oh", he said quietly.

"Yeah".

"I didn't think she'd..."

I shrugged.

"I guess I could talk to her...I mean I like her...I just thought..."

"You don't have to give me an explanation. Just give her some closure or get back or something", I said.

Al nodded in agreement so I took him back to the Gryffindor common room where she might be right now.

...

Upon returning to my dorm, I had Bonnie place hot pads on my back.

"Seriously, Rose, you need to watch out more", Bonnie said to me. I was lying on my bed face down while she was putting a hot pad on my back which really helped a lot. "I mean, what do you expect to happen if you're going to go running down the dungeon stairs with your shoe laces untied. You're obviously going to fall".

I sighed sadly and nodded before dozing off into a nap. Once I woke up around five, I felt that the rest helped ease the pain tremendously.

For the rest of the evening till dinner, I tried to focus on some of my school work once I began to feel a bit better; starting with figuring my courses out, I had finally decided what I wanted to drop so I wasted no time in getting to Professor Longbottom's office and making it official.

After that, I went to my dorm to pack my book bag for Monday with my fall semester books and scales and such. I also wrote a letter to my mum to see how she's doing and borrowed Amanda's owl to send it because I wouldn't be able to climb all those steps to go to the owlery. I cried though, while writing the letter. I've been in this school for the past five years and loved it with all my heart but until today, I had never felt more homesick.

...

I didn't spot Scorpius at dinner but I did catch Al's eye from across the great hall and he gave me a look of disapproval. Al had told me to stop worrying about Scorpius and that he crossed the limit and all but I wasn't worrying. I didn't even care if he lived or died...I was just curious, I guess. I mean I don't want him to die or anything but I was not going to forget what he did so easily. He even went as far as to say that I'm stupid and I screw his life up. I tried not to let it show on my face but I really wanted to cry right now. I mean, his words _stung_. They hurt more than the all the times he has physically hurt me.

"Hey, Rose, how come you're not eating?" I looked up and saw Eric has been sitting across me the whole time.

"Huh? Oh...I don't know...guess I'm not that hungry", I sighed.

"What's wrong with you?" James said.

"Nothing, James, I have a back ache", I said annoyed.

"She tripped on the dungeon stairs", Bonnie said.

I was thankful Al wasn't here at the moment. Then again, he's not the type to burst the truth out...then again, he did do that with Damien's modeling thing which in my opinion is extremely random.

"So, Rose", Ben, who was sitting next to Eric, said to me. "What were you going to tell me this morning at Breakfast?"

I looked at him sort of taken aback. I didn't think he still remembered that. I looked around and saw that all my friends were looking at me now. Including Eric.

"I forgot..." I said in a small voice and sighed.

"Rose, why are you so depressed today?" Ben said to me.

"I'm not. I'm just tired..." I said as I forced a second bite of the casserole in my mouth and chewed for what felt like ten minutes. "I can't eat anymore", I finally put my fork down. "I'm going to bed".

"Rose, it's only 6:30", Amanda said looking down at her watch.

"I'm tired", I said.

Bonnie and Amanda exchanged glances and the rest of them quietly watched me as I got up, and headed out of the great hall with my stiff back.

Once I was out into the empty entrance hall and walking up to the Gryffindor tower, I wanted to start crying, even though I didn't, because everything was so wrong. Yesterday, it was all so perfect. Scorpius got along well with my friends, he was nice to me, Eric asked me out and it was all so...bloody _perfect_. Today was horrible though; Scorpius was so mean and he even hurt me. I couldn't forget his words. I'm stupid? I screw his life up? And I felt so horrible for practically ignoring Eric all day. He's probably not going to want to go out with me anymore since he, and everyone else, probably think I'm and emotional mess or something—even though I'm not! It's just that...Scorpius gets to me. And I made Scorpius and Al fight too. I should not have told Al at all. It just made things worse and whatever chance there was of Scorpius reconciling with me was gone. Scorpius was gone. Bloody hell! I should've just been in Hufflepuff like my weird Uncle Percy's equally weird daughters. I mean Gryffindor is for brave people and I just bloody cry about everything. I'm not brave; I hate myself!

Once I reached the common room, I took a deep breath and sighed. There was just something about the comfort this room always brings. I was walking up the tower to my dorm when I suddenly heard sniffling. I stopped to listen. Someone was crying and it was coming from one of the broom cupboards. I took quiet steps towards the cupboard door and knocked. The crying suddenly stopped but no one responded. So I knocked again and when I didn't get a respond again, I turned the knob and opened the door.

And there, I saw a beautiful girl sitting on the floor with her blond head between her knees looking like a terrible mess.

"Dominique?"

She looked up and blinked. "Are you, like, following me or something? What do you want, why do you keep appearing everywhere?"

"Uh...sorry...but, uh, are you alright?" I asked.

"Do I look alright to you?" She yelled.

"Uh, no but, uh, what's wrong?" I asked nervously. She does tend to frighten me quite a bit.

"And why the hell would I tell you?"

"I don't know...uh, well, I'm kind of sad too..."

"WELL, FIND A DIFFERENT BROOM CUPBOARD THEN BECAUSE THIS ONE'S MINE!"

I literally ran out of there! I couldn't believe I just saw Dominique cry, I didn't even know she had the capacity too. I wonder what's wrong with her. Whatever it is, at least I know I'm not the only one hurting.

I decided it was best to leave Dominique alone so I went up straight to my room and plopped down on my bed and thought of Ben. I wanted to tell Ben this morning about Eric and me but never got the chance to. I wanted to tell him in private so I could get his opinion and maybe talk to him about it. But I don't even know if I should anymore, Eric probably doesn't want to even go out with me anymore. I turned to lie on my stomach because my back ache was returning but something told me it was stress this time...

"_Rose? Rose, where are you?"_

"_MUM! Mum! I'm down here! I'm hanging down here!"_

"_Rose! How did you get there?"_

"_Mum, please pull me up? Mum I'm so scared I'm going to fall, please, mum, pull me up!"_

"_Rose, I'm trying! You're too far down baby!"_

"_Mum, please, I don't want to fall, I'll die! Please pull me back up!"_

"_I can't baby, I'm sorry! I told you not to play near the cliff, it's dangerous. I'm sorry baby, but I'll have to let you fall..."_

"_MUM, NOOOOOOOO!"_

"Rose! Rose, wake up! Rose!"

_Had I fallen..._My eyes shoot open? "Wh-whats going on?" I saw Amanda hovering over me.

"Rose, you had a bad dream or something", She said. "Are you feeling okay?"

I lifted myself up a bit. "What time is it? How long was I asleep?"

"It's only seven o'clock, Rose", Amanda said.

"It feels like hours!" I said as I lay back down.

"No, love it's only been, like, twenty minutes or so, I think", Amanda. "Rose are you alright, you're sweating?"

"I'm fine", I smile to appear normal which I'm actually questioning about myself at the moment. "So what's up?"

"Not much, I don't have duty tonight so I'm pretty relieved", Amanda said as she laid down on her bed and smiled at me. "So how's things with Eric? Did you guys kiss again or anything?"

"No", I blushed. "To be honest, I've been kind of down today so I didn't really get a chance to talk to him".

"Yeah, I noticed".

"You did?"

"Yeah...I get the feeling you're not super crazy about him; like you were last year?"

I sighed, "Yeah...you're probably right..."

"Can I just throw a wild idea out there—it's just what I think?"

"Yeah sure", I said, turning to face her since our beds were next to each others.

"I think you might have feelings for Ben".

I stared at her, then cocked a brow at her, and then snorted.

"Wh-what are you saying? Me? Into B-Ben? Nuh uh!"

"Don't think I didn't notice your face when Bonnie complimented his ass yesterday night", She smiled at me smugly.

"Amanda, Ben and I became really good friends this summer, that's it", I said.

"You seemed a little uncomfortable at the thought of him being with Bonnie. I noticed that at King's Cross too. And now that I think about it, I don't think he wanted me to tell you about Donny's party".

"Amanda, honey, it's all in your head", I laughed. "Besides, I'm into Eric, remember?"

"No you're not, Rose. Don't kid yourself. You barely pay attention to him".

I stopped to think. Maybe's she's right, I've barely talked to him today, and it's him who started the conversation. "It's just that I've been too caught up with Scorpius and his pro—"

"See, that's another thing we don't get Rose. You're always so worried about him and you guys have only been friends for like, what? Two months maybe?"

I nodded; she sort of had a point.

"And I mean, it's like you're his mom or his, I don't know his girlfriend or wife or something...it's really weird".

"Is that what everyone thinks?" I asked looking worried at her.

"No—well, I don't know what everyone else thinks but it's what Donny and I think—maybe we're wrong; we could be wrong".

"I don't know, Amanda. I just don't know anymore. I mean aside from my family, I don't think anyone's ever loved me the way he does. I know you and Bonnie are my friends and we love each other but with him it's different. It's like he can't live without me and he makes me feel so good about myself, like I'm worth it...I don't know if you get me?"

"Yeah yeah; I get it", She nodded. "He makes you feel confident and special and all".

"Yeah, exactly!"

"But, Rose, why do you need to feel like that? I mean you're a perfectly fine girl".

"No, I'm not!" I said turning my head away. "You're just nice".

"Yes you are. You've got a wonderful personality. You're really gentle and caring and you're very pretty too. I mean, Eric Wood is part of the most popular group of boys at our school and he really likes you".

I blushed and smiled slightly. I mean; that _is_ true.

"And", she continued, "You're very smart. You get an O in almost everything".

"Not enough for my Mum though. My parents want me to be head girl next year and I never even made prefect", I sighed.

"It's not always about satisfying others, Rosie. You've got to do what you want", Amanda said.

"I did want to be prefect and I do want to be Head Girl. I want to be quidditch captain like James and Al and I want to be gorgeous and popular like Dominque and Louis or different and unique like Fred and Roxanne...I'm not even that smart. Okay I mean; I'm book smart but I'm not the other smart; the one where you know about life and people and all".

"Street smart?"

"Yeah. Like, look at Emma and Priya. I told Emma all my secrets and all my weaknesses and who knows what she's probably spread around. I'm so stupid".

"Rose, that's not stupid. That just means you're trusting".

"No, it means I'm a desperate loser".

"No it doesn—"

"Hey, guys!" The door suddenly opened and in came Bonnie who plopped down on her bed and sighed. "Guys, I just kissed Louis".

"You did?" Amanda raised a brow at her."What about that weird plan you had?"

"I don't care about that anymore..." She turned over and buried her face in her pillow and groaned, "Oh my god he's so hot! Why does he have to be so hot?" She whined.

"It's because he's part veela", I sighed. "Why couldn't my mum be a veela, or at least French!"

Amanda rolled her eyes at me. "My Mum's part French—half"

"What's the other part?" I asked.

"Morrocan".

"Is that why you're lighter than most Africans?"

"Yeah. But my dad is really dark which is weird because he's a quarter Italian but looks fully Algerian".

"That is so cool!" Bonnie exclaimed.

I nodded, "My aunt Angelina is Algerian too—Fred and Roxanne's mum. But you're lighter than Fred and Roxie? So is your hair, its brown".

"It's genetics. Sometimes it works in weird ways. Like Donny. His family's from Tunisia and he's the only one who's born in London but he's the darkest one in his family".

"He's not that dark either".

"Yeah his great grandmother was French or Dutch I think. I don't know for sure but his grandparents who were muggles met during World War two or something".

"Wow!" I sighed, Why couldn't I be interesting? "What about you, Bonnie?"

"My mum's American and I think her grandparents migrated from Italy to Boston but she and her parents were born in San Diego and...You guys know I don't really know my dad".

We nodded but didn't say anything. "My mum said he was part Hispanic and part Caucasian".

We still didn't say anything. Bonnie had never really talked to us about her family but we knew her mum was pregnant when she was sixteen so her parents sent her to live with relatives in Manchester where Bonnie was born on the day of her Mum's seventeenth birthday. We also know that her Mum's a beautiful model; Sort of like Damien...except the beautiful part—not that he's ugly!

"So how about you, Rose?" She said.

"Just plain English. My Weasley side does have some Irish blood and my granddad on my mum's side says I have some French in me from a very long time ago. My nana says it's not hundred percent sure though."

A little while later, Emma and Priya came in and did their own thing sitting near the windowsill in a corner of the room while Bonnie, Amanda and I talked about almost everything. Bonnie complained about why Louis had to be so irresistible and we just rolled our eyes at her. We also talked about our childhood, our plans for after Hogwarts and everything in between. It was around ten o'clock when we decided to call it a night. The three of us turned out our lamps and shortly afterwards, so did Emma and Priya and when the room was finally pitch black, I felt myself drift away into a dreamless sleep...

...

"_Rose?"_

_I heard someone call my name and I tried to look around at who it was but everything was dark—black and I couldn't see anything._

"_Rose? Rose?"_

"_Who? Where are you?" I tried to say._

"_Rose?"_

"_Who are you?"_

"_Rose?"_

"Leave me al—"

"Rose?"

I opened my eyes slightly and almost screamed when I saw my mouth was covered by a strong hand. I struggled and tried to make loud noises but stopped when I looked up.

"Rose, it's me, Scorpius", he whispered as he slowly let go of me.

"Scorpius?" I repeated, not sure if I was dreaming or not that he is standing at my bedside hovering above me.

"I-I had to see you", he said in serious tone. "I placed the muffliato around your bed".

"How did you get in here? It's impossible!" I said confused and shocked at the same time.

"Don't worry about it—let me see your back".

"Huh?" I said as I remembered earlier this afternoon. "No! You're not supposed to be here! Go away!"

"Don't be stupid, Rose!" He growled.

I turned to my other side and pulled the blanket over my head so he'd get the hint that I really don't want to see him right now.

"Rose!" He said as he yanked my blanket.

"What the hell, Scorpius!" I yelled.

"Don't ignore me then", he retorted.

I lifted myself up to sit and sighed in frustration, "Scorpius, I'm extremely tired", I say. "I don't want to talk to you right now...Actually, I don't want to talk to you, period".

"Rose, are you still mad? It was your fault anyway".

My eyes widened. "My fault? My _fault_? How dare you even _suggest_ that?" I practically shrieked. If I had something in my hand, I'd chuck it at him!

"I was just joking...come on, I'm sorry about your back", he said. Scorpius sat on my bed, took hold of my arms and brought his face closer. "I'm sorry...just don't be mad at me, I hate that"

My eyes narrowed when I smelt something funny...bitter. And then my eyes widen in horror again. "Scorpius, have you been drinking?"

"Yeah", he says. "Just a couple glasses of scotch—but I'm not drunk, don't worry".

"Scorpius, you're not supposed to be drinking in school premises! Get away from me!" I yelled. I pulled my curtains slightly open just in case and saw the four other girls sleeping soundly; the muffliato.

"I wasn't drinking in _school_...I'm sorry, Rose", he said in my face still holding my upper arms. "Sometimes I have to. You won't understand...everything that's going on right now but if you'd just talk to me, I wouldn't..."

"Scorpius, don't you dare blame it on me", I yelled.

"I'm not!" He said startled, "Rose, come on, don't be mad anymore". He tried to push me over a little, "Rose, mover over, I want to get in".

"No, Scorpius! How could you even think that I'd want to even speak to you after what you did! You really hurt me, you know?"

"Rose, I'm sorry, it won't happen again, I swear. Rose, if only you knew how much you mean to me..."

"Scorpius, you said that the last time. I don't care for your apologies anymore. You're mean and cruel and I just want you to go away. I hate you!" I snarled at him...and my stupid eyes began to sting.

Scorpius sighed and said nothing for a while. He pushed my curtains open and went to go stand at the windowsill. I wanted to turn to my other side and close my eyes to show him my indifference towards him but I couldn't help but stare at him. However, when I saw he was about to turn around, I immediately shut my eyes. I lay back down and turned to my side other side so I wouldn't have to look at him or talk to him. I heard shuffling and the bed curtains moving. And then I felt the bed dip a little so I opened my eyes and turned my head to see Scorpius sitting there. I was quiet and still and watched as he took a piece of my hair in his fingers and played with it.

I didn't know what got into me but a second later, I slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me!" I snapped at him in a mean way, which I felt horrible about.

"Come on, Rose. Let's talk about it", He grunted. "I said I was sorry. Let me see your back. Maybe I could help make it feel better".

"I don't want to talk to you!" I said frustrated. "What part of that don't you get? You're cruel and abusive and you have no regard for others. You're selfish!" I spat.

"No, I'm not!" He said through gritted teeth. "_You're_ selfish! You expect me to _coax_ you at every minute!" Scorpius lowered his angry face towards me but I wasn't afraid of him. "I have to right to emotions, you know. I have to right to be angry!"

"I don't care. All I know is that you hit me. You don't have the right to lay a single finger on me, you're an animal!"

"SHUT UP!" Scorpius suddenly took hold of my wrist and came even lower and closer to me with his eyes narrowed and angry, "I _apologised_ for that! What the fuck do you want me to do?"

I tried to struggle my hands free. "I want you to let go of me, Scorpius. I don't care for your apologies anymore. You're a filthy monster! An animal! You disgust m—"

"ROSE!"

"Aaah!"

All of sudden, Scorpius had pushed me down into the bed and was hovering above me angrily with my wrists held adjacent to my head. "Shut the fuck up before I knock you out! Don't you _ever_ fucking call me that again" He yelled. "I just want to strangle you right now and throw you off your fucking Gryffindor tower!"

My eyes became teary again and I started shaking from the fear that he might actually do just that. Scorpius wants to strangle me? I wouldn't put it past him either...and he's had a couple drinks tonight, I don't know how much control he has over himself. I felt Scorpius lower himself, his head and shoulders still lifted, and I felt his heavy weight pressing me down so much that the springs of the mattress were hurting my sensitive back bone.

"Let go! Scorpius, get off me", I choked out. "Please". I had tears in my eyes now because I was so unsure of what he would do.

"You know how cruel _you_ are? You think _I'm_ pathetic? _You're_ pathetic you judgemental, blind, spoiled, little—you don't _know_ me! You don't the _hell_ I'm going through!"

"Okay, okay, I believe you", I cried with tears. "Just let go of me, please. Get off me".

"You wouldn't last a single day in my place! You'd get _killed_! You'd get your skin _ripped_ off of your flesh fed to the dogs! You'd get eaten alive!"

"Scorpius please, you're hurting me", I sobbed. I felt my chest heaving from breathing so heavily I thought my heart would pop right out and run away from Scorpius. I turned my head to the side and made a feeble attempt to call for help. "Bonnie!" I cried hoarsely. "Please wake up! Amanda!" But the spell Scorpius placed around my bed didn't allow them to hear anything. Even if they opened their eyes, they wouldn't see anything because of the curtains.

I watched Scorpius also breathing heavily and looking at me. I just hoped his moment of anger wouldn't go on any longer.

"Scorpius, my back", I whimpered and after a second of glaring at me, Scorpius lifted himself slightly but that only applied pressure to my wrists which he noticed.

I groaned in pain and I felt him finally let go of my hands as well but he was still hovering above me, watching me. I turned to my side and balled my shaking body up into a fetal position and sobbed into my pillow. My back was hurting again and it had taken an hour of Bonnie's heat padding to ease the pain. However, I knew the pain wasn't just from the collision but also the stress Scorpius placed on me. He was so mean and frightening. Did he really want to strangle me? Am I really that bad? Scorpius was allowed to hurt me in any way possible yet I was forbidden from expressing my anger and sorrow? I shuddered because Scorpius was still hovering above me like a roof and I was glad when he finally moved away. I tried to close my eyes and breathed deeply to relax myself but I was still shaking and I was cold as well.

My eyes shot open when I felt my blanket on me again. I didn't dare turn around to look at him but I knew it was him who placed it on me. After a few short breaths, I relaxed slightly and looked at my clock.

_3:38 am_

It's only been forty minutes? Oh why couldn't morning come earlier? I just want to sun to come up and someone to wake up so I wouldn't have to be alone with him.

It wasn't until Scorpius slipped an arm around my waist that I realized he was lying behind me. I was stiff though, I didn't dare move in case he did try to strangle me or something but just the thought brought my shaking back and I felt nauseas.

"Relax. I'm not going to do anything; I just want to hold you", I heard him whisper in my ear. I felt his hand rubbing my arms and my sides which only gave me goose bumps. I felt Scorpius reach his hand from behind me and touch my face. "Are you crying?"

I didn't know why he asked that when he was obviously touching a wet face.

"Rose, I'm sorry", He whispered again. I nodded a little to show that I heard because it might anger him even more if I don't respond. "Rose?" He pulled me onto my back and looked at me. "You look pale".

I sighed and tried to shut my eyes but I felt his hand on my face again.

"Rose, I didn't realize you'd be so scared..."

I turned to my side again facing the curtains so I would have to see him and croaked, "My mum..."

I really didn't know why she was the first one on my mind but I felt so homesick and I felt stupid for thinking this but I just wanted my mummy. I wanted to be in my own bed at home in my warm bedroom knowing my parents were just across the hall and I could run into their room if I felt scared and get in next to my mum without my dad knowing and sleep there the whole night with her arm around me, like I used to when I was a little girl. If I could just see her for even a minute...but what if she locks me up in my room again all by myself? I was shivering again as I remembered how scared I was hiding in Scorpius's shower that morning and the night before when he threw me on the bed and my head collided with the headboard of the bed. I had been so worried about Scorpius all the time but he never seemed to care for me. Like at the carnival, I remembered the slit in my thigh I had done with broken glass from a beer bottle. I had done it to protect him, so he wouldn't get into trouble with muggle authorities. I should have never brought him to the carnival where he could unleash the angry animal inside of him. I should have gotten the hint when he hurt my wrist with that stupid bracelet in the hospital for the stupid reason that I'm close to my cousin Al. I'm so glad I never let him separate Al and me, I had gotten my proof earlier yesterday. I wish I was smarter about Scorpius. I wish I had gotten the hint from the very moment he locked me in a storage cupboard and suffocated me only so he could yell in my face so I would listen to him.

I was too lost in my memories to even notice my hair at my side now and a pair of lips latched to the nape of my neck. My body jerked slightly from the hot breath at my neck but I took a deep breath and relaxed. I felt Scorpius's arm tighten around me slightly and I felt his nose rubbing the back of my neck. I was stiff the whole time.

"Rose?" I heard him groan my name not sure if he was talking to himself or me.

"H-huh?" I whispered.

"I'm sorry, please", he begged, "please forgive me".

I didn't respond. I heard a thump and realized Scorpius had kicked his shoes off and pulled my blanket over himself as well. A minute later, I felt his bare toes gently stroking my legs. I also jerked a little when his hand went up my pajama shirt; he was tracing circles on my waist and his hand slowly moved to my back; rubbing it and stroking it.

I almost jumped when I felt Scorpius's fingers brush past the back of my bra and meagrely, I managed to say, "Scorpius, stop! What are you doing?" I attempted to pull my shirt back down.

"I don't know...your back...does it still hurt?", he whispered in my ear from behind.

"Stop...don't", I said in weak voice but he didn't comply.

After some shuddering, I began to relax knowing that he was completely cool now but I was still beyond confused and uncomfortable by the way his lips were kissing the back of my shoulders and neck and his hands on my bare skin.

"Wh-what are you—s-stop", I flinched.

"I don't want to", he groaned.

"Scorpius, why are you k-kis—"

"Why am I kissing you? Because, Rose, you're making me".

"Huh?" I said confused as ever. I turned to my other side to face him.

"You're making me feel things...things I've never felt before—good things".

"I-I don't understand", I stuttered but Scorpius was at ease and he still has his hand in my shirt stroking my bare back.

"I don't either", he muttered. "Rose, you're so perfect...and you don't know what you mean to me".

"Then why do you hurt me?" I choked out when my eyes began to sting again.

"Your frustrate me sometimes. I get angry trying to figure out why you're so kind to me. There is not a single thing about me that would make someone love me. So why do you?"

"I don't know" I sobbed silently. "You don't have to be brutal to me for it". Scorpius put his arms around me and pulled my head into his chest where I clutched his shirt and continued to cry in his chest. "I want to be happy. I hate being scared and depressed and I hate when you hurt me".

"I get mad sometimes", Scorpius muttered. "I'm sorry, Rose. I hate when you're frightened of me and I hate making you cry but..." He sighed.

"Scorpius", I whispered in his chest and touched the buttons of his shirt. "Why can't you talk to me about it? If you're in some sort of trouble, why can't you tell me? I could help you".

"I...I don't know if you'll ever understand. Rose you wouldn't even look at me anymore if you knew..."

"Knew what?"

"Not right now...I'll tell you some other time", he yawned. After that, I began to feel slightly drowsy as well and I closed my eyes hoping to get some sleep. I could feel Scorpius's hand in my hair lulling me to sleep.

"Scorpius?" I said again groggily.

"Hm?"

"Who's Adrianna?"

Scorpius's eyes opened and I looked up at him. "Adrianna who?" He said with furrowed brows.

"Vaisey".

"Oh...she's Lance's sister", he said quietly. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason", I sighed and closed my eyes again.

After a minute or so, I heard Scorpius say my name. "Rose?"

"Yes?"

Scorpius's voice suddenly became small, like he was begging.

"Don't go out with Eric Wood...please. He can't have you; Rose, you're...you're mine".

"Scorpius, wh—"

"You belong to me, Rose, only me".

**A/N: So I hope you guys liked that chapter, I know I liked writing it. I know I never got to talking about how some of Rose's friends look or what their stories are so I hope you now know a bit more about them. And finally, OH EM GEEEEE, what is going on with Scorpius and where was he that night till four am...god if I was his mother, I'd send him to military school!**


	31. The Curse of Vulnerability

**A/N: Hello my wonderful readers. I'm so sorry it has taken this long for me to update. To be honest, I was just stumped after the last chapter. It was a really big leap and I knew I was taking a risk, especially with the last scene in chapter 30. After that, I had no idea where to go. I was stuck about how Rose would feel or react after the events of chapter 30. So then I finally sat down and began writing and the ideas just basically came to me slowly. **

**I also want to thank all my wonderful reviewers. You guys are a small batch of super special people that are kind enough to let me know how you feel and I appreciate that so much. So here's the list: aphroditeinlove, Vil89Six, weasleyjumper, JustDreaming015, Tara 777 (patience, babe! You left me 4 reviews asking for updates!), I'veNeverKnownHateUntilIMetYou, FanofSlytherins7711, Leeh H Malfoy, pandpfan, YukiNoHana, anomina15, Blurglahlah, and lily-flores. So thank you to everyone and I'm now going to let you get on the story because I know you've been waiting for a long time and can't wait no more…*ahem* Tara *ahem*. Enjoy!**

…

It was only a bit after sunrise when I felt stirring in my bed. I opened my eyes slightly to try and realize my surroundings. I was in my bed but I could feel another body next to me…and then I remembered.

Scorpius.

I opened my eyes a bit more and saw that I was facing him so I quickly shut my eyes again hoping he hadn't seen me look at him. I could feel his grip tight on my arm and I thought he was asleep but he wasn't. He loosened his hold and stroked my arm for moment or two. I continued to pretend to sleep; even when I felt him lower his head and kiss my chest just below the notch of my neck. And then, just like that, he left and for the first time tonight, I slept as peacefully as a child.

…

_My precious Rose,_

_You don't know how much I miss you and Hugo. It's awfully quiet now with just your dad and me. I hope you settled in well and discussed your courses with your Head over the weekend. I'm so sorry I didn't reply sooner. We were at the Robertson's all weekend helping them get their new house furnished and ready. I don't recall whether I told you this or not but they had been in a rental for the past month or two so they finally bought a house. Nora is very excited since it's near that psychiatrist's office she works at so she won't be commuting anymore. Gosh I feel so blessed to be able to apparate!_

_As for your dad and I, we're alright, kind of lonely but alright. I hope you like the new things I got you. Just remember; no more than one candy bar a day or it'll just go down to your thighs or give you cavities and you don't want to be visiting Granddaddy's clinic during Christmas break. I hope you've looked over your books before Monday morning. You were very lucky to have a weekend before classes started and it would be awfully foolish of you if you didn't take advantage of the extra time that could help you get ahead. And make sure you're on your best behavior as well this year; your chance at being Head Girl still exists. Try out for different clubs and teams other than quidditch as well; it would be beneficial for you to be well-rounded. You have no idea how lucky you are; when I was at Hogwarts, the only activities we had were Quidditch and Gobstones, neither of which I enjoyed. _

_Rose, I hope everything is alright with you. Your parchment was stained and your letter seemed slightly melancholic. Baby, if there is something wrong, all you have to do is tell me. I'm on excellent terms with your headmistress so your daddy and I could be at Hogwarts with a snap of your finger. If there is something wrong, I surely hope you don't hide it from me and I think it would be alright if you could even talk to your friends about it. I noticed you hadn't done that much during the last couple of weeks of summer but I hope being reunited with them will help you rekindle your friendships. You can also talk to Albus if you feel lonely; that boy is as kind and understanding as his father. How are things with Emma and Priya, by the way? Don't worry about it too much; quarrels between friends are common at your age and maybe one day when you're older, you'll be laughing about it with them. How is your friend Benjamin doing? I do like that boy very much, such a gentleman he is. And how is Scorpius? I dearly hope everything between the two of you is pleasant. Rose, if there is something wrong regarding him or if you're ever upset because of him, please don't ever hesitate to tell me. Now that I'm back at work full time with you and Hugo gone, I see his father more often. He seems very wise so I could always talk to him if you'd like me to. _

_Anyways, tell your brother I said hello and if he doesn't whine about it too much, then give him a big kiss from me. Take care of him, alright? You're his big sister and he looks up to you very much. Also, he asked me, before you guys left, to tell you to play quidditch with him. Please play with him; he's too shy to play with anyone else. Thank you so much, love, and take care of yourself. Please write soon, I can't wait to hear from you!_

_Your loving Mummy_

_P.S. If you forgot anything at home, let me know and I'll owl it to you as soon as I can._

It was Monday morning and I was reading and re-reading my mum's letter at breakfast with a rare smile on my face. I was so glad to hear from her. Although her lectures about succeeding in school can be rather annoying, her words of comfort are like a warm bath on a cold day for my tensed mind.

"Nice to finally see you happy, Rosie, darling. What are you grinning about anyway?" I look up and see Ben looking at me curiously.

"Nothing; just a letter from my Mum" I said in a quiet voice. "She asked how you're doing by the way".

"Really?" He chuckled.

"You're mother asked about _him_?" Eric asked. "Why?"

I shrugged. "She likes him…thinks he's a good boy", I said without the much-expected warmth in my voice. I just haven't been in the mood these past couple of days and not even Eric, despite how much he had tried this past weekend, could change that.

I didn't really care when Eric just snorted and looked away but Ben frowned. I'm not stupid; I know Eric's jealous of Ben's relationship with me. I'm pretty sure if Amanda thinks Ben and I like each other, than Eric must think so too. It's all completely bullshit though.

"I _am_", He insisted as he gulped a third slice of toast down with a second glass of orange juice.

"Ben", Bonnie, who was sitting next to me, giggled, "You've been having breakfast since eight-thirty. Aren't you done yet?"

Ben turned a bright shade of pink and muttered, "I get hungry".

"Leave him alone! He works out a lot!" James scolded her before turning to me. "And, Rose, I suggest you start increasing your appetite as well if you want to get anywhere with Quidditch this year! You've gotten thinner anyways; that huge ass quaffle will just take you down to the ground!"

"What am I supposed to do if I'm not hungry?"

"I don't know; _get_ hungry! Oh by the way, I'm thinking of holding tryouts this Friday. You guys know they're just a show, right? I'm going to pick you so just show up and we'll have people do a couple throws or whatever and get it over within half an hour".

I sighed. I really wasn't up for Quidditch; and even if I was, it wouldn't matter.

"Uh, James", Bonnie said. "Rose can't play…remember?"

"What…Oh, right", James said almost whisperingly. The rest of them grew quiet.

Bonnie was right. On Sunday I woke up an hour and a half past noon and my friends thought I had gotten sick or something since I try to rise early and I didn't bother giving any clarification either. I didn't eat much that day since my back had been killing me. So I decided to pay the hospital wing a visit spent a couple hours with Madame Cornfoot who did some X-Rays of my "lumbar" and "thoracic" as she calls it.

It turned out that I _might_ have fractured my spine, a very small one though. She said she can't really do anything for it until she knows for sure since it's too delicate of a limb and she doesn't want to paralyze me for life. I had almost fainted at the word paralyzed and was extremely thankful Al was there for support. I hadn't wanted anyone to come but he didn't listen to me which I was grateful about once I found out Scorpius almost _paralyzed_ me. I was extremely upset at the thought of what Scorpius could have done to me because I cared for him so much and it just wasn't fair. So I cried on Al's shoulder and Madame Cornfoot got me some tea and offered to send a letter to my Mum explaining everything but I told her I would do it myself. I never did it. She asked me how it happened and I stuck to my Dungeon stairs story but I could tell she eyed me like I was hiding something. On the other hand I had to make Al swear upon his dead grandparents' grave that he wouldn't say anything about the truth, not ever, but I knew it made him angry by the way his hands fisted at his sides and his teeth gritted whenever I lied about it. The most horrifying moment of all was when she told me I'd have to wear a back brace over my clothing until she figures it out. I was even more devastated and cried in my dorm room to Amanda and Bonnie about how everyone would look at me as the girl who has to wear a brace! And it was all stupid Scorpius's fault but I didn't even know how to tell them that; I didn't even know if I had the courage to. Everyone told me to be thankful because it's only minor and Merlin knows what happens if the Spinal Cord is abused.

"Why'd you have to go running down the stairs anyway?" James mutters angrily to himself and I sigh in sadness at how insensitive he's being.

"I'm sorry", I say in a small voice as I took a bite of my egg which didn't seem all that tasty anyway.

"It's not your fault, Rose", Bonnie says. I saw her give James an angry look.

"Yeah", Ben chimes in. "These things happen and I'm sure in no time you'll be back to normal".

I shrug again. Normal…what does that even mean?

"I'm sorry", James sighs. I look up in surprise. "But you're still on the team, Rose. I don't care, I'll take a stand-in or something for now but you're the best keeper in all of Gryffindor house".

I give him a small smile.

"So will you be able to play the first match in November?" Ben asks curiously.

"I don't know. If I get this ugly thing off fast enough", I grunt pointing at the brace around me.

"It's not as bad as you're making it sound, honest", he says.

"Right, because every other person here has to walk around with a piece of plastic and metal on around them, right?"

"How come you're not bawling your eyes out about this?" Fred raised a brow at me.

"She did that all yesterday", Bonnie says.

"I've decided to focus on the positive", I mutter sarcastically as I stab a piece of potato like it's Scorpius.

I was still sad but I was more tired of it all. I was sick and tired of hurting and being depressed. It's basically what I did all summer. I cried my eyes out Sunday when I woke up because I was still horrified by what happened that night. I was also confused by what he meant when he told me not to go out with Eric. I didn't care though. I'm not going to listen to him anymore. I'll do what I want and I don't care about how he feels anymore. If I recall, I was leading a perfectly normal and happy life before that stupid day that I went to SCSY for the very first meeting. I should have known from the very first time he yelled at me.

I hadn't seen him at all on Sunday—not that I was looking for him or even cared but I found it odd what he did that night after he practically abused me. And I still remember when he put his hands up my shirt which I think is _highly_ inappropriate but _god_ _forbid_ I say anything to him and risk myself getting _buried_ ten feet under the ground! Still, it didn't make sense, I mean I don't really care that he kissed my neck or shoulders or whatever but I expected him to at least show his stupid face to me at some point on Sunday. I had even expected him to come and apologize properly…but it's Scorpius "Stupid" Malfoy, king of the stupids in his stupid, messed up world. I'd have to have been dying for him to apologize soberly.

"Rose, what are you thinking about?" Ben said to me again.

"N-Nothing", I sighed.

"Rose, are you thinking of a certain seeker on the Gryffindor team?" Bonnie nudged me playfully obviously trying to get my mind off what she thinks is my brace misery.

James made a gagging noise and Ben rolled his eyes while Eric blushed. I just looked at Bonnie with a frown.

"No", I said flatly. Then I caught Eric's eye and realized I had just been a little too flat. "I mean, at the moment I was thinking of something else". I saw Eric raise a brow at me so I just looked down at my watch. "There's only fifteen minutes till nine. I think I'm going to head up to class", I said as I put my schedule and my quill case back in my book back.

"Wait—Rose!" Eric immediately said. "What…uh, what do you have right now?"

"Defense against the dark arts", I said. "Why?"

"It's…well, it's on the first floor. I'm sure you'll get there in time".

"But I want to be early. It shows dedication", I bullshitted. The rest just snorted.

"C-Can I, um, can I walk you to class…maybe? If you don't mind?" He said as he put his hand in his hair.

"Uh, sure", I said. Eric's ears turned pink and he got up before James pulled his arm and pulled him back down.

"Sit down, dumbass, she's not a first year; she knows where the freaking classroom is", He snarled.

"Shut up!" Eric said before getting up and getting his book bag.

Bonnie sighed, "James, Eric and Rose aren't the slightest bit concerned whether you give them your blessings or not".

"I _don't_ _want_ t give them my blessing", he muttered. "They're awkward!"

So Eric and I just ignored James like we usually do and walked out of the great hall. I stole a quick glance at the Slytherin table. Scorpius wasn't there but Al was and he beamed at me.

"So…what's up with you lately?" He asked once we were out in the entrance hall.

"Not much. Well, I was almost paralyzed for life but you see; I wear this handy dandy brace now in case you haven't noticed so my life is just about an inch away from being superbly fucked up".

Eric burst out laughing.

"I'm not trying to be funny, you know? What else could possibly be 'up', Eric" I said sternly.

"Sorry I can't help it. You're so cute sometimes", He said.

I gave him a look, then grinned a little to myself. "I am aren't I…?".

Eric chuckled again. "Rose, I wanted to ask you if you still want to go on that date."

I thought for a moment. "What made you think I didn't?"

"I never thought that. I was just asking because I thought you might not want to go with that thing on", He pointed to my new best friend, the brace.

"Oh, right… I forgot about this", I sighed.

"If you don't want to, there's no rush!" He said immediately.

"I don't know. I was really looking forward to going to Hogsmeade with you…"

"We can go some other time", he said. "There'll be lots of more trips…once that thing is off you".

"You know what, I don't want to let this brace—" _or_ _Scorpius_ "—stop me from going. Besides, I'm looking forward to spending time with you".

"Are you sure? We can go in December…or no. We're seniors now! We can go whenever we want".

"I kind of wanted to go in October…I don't really care about the brace, it'll be gone by then".

"Oh really!" Eric said excitedly all of a sudden. "It'll be gone by then? Oh good…good".

"Eric, does my brace bother you?" I raise a brow at him.

"NO! I mean I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable going out in public with that…"

"_Should_ I feel uncomfortable in public?" My face fell. I hadn't really thought of that until he mentioned it.

"No! Of course not!"

"Do you not want to be seen with me while I have it on?"

"No! Rose, wh-where did you get _that_ from? It doesn't matter to me! Honest", He said immediately.

"Here's my class", I said.

"Okay, well, I'll see you at lunch then", he said before bidding me goodbye and hurrying away. I was the first one there so I took a seat at the very back and put my head down on the desk in my folded arms because I just wanted to cry. I didn't think Eric would be so uncomfortable being seen with me. I'm not abnormal or handicapped or anything and this stupid brace is going to be off soon, I won't have it forever! God he is just…like James! Ugh!

But I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry. I'm _absolutely_ not going to cry.

I wipe my tear immediately and decide that I wouldn't have anymore brooding and sulking on my part. I took a deep breath and sighed before taking out my _Standard Book of Spells_ from my bag as well as another book called 'Confronting the Faceless'. I've already confronted a monster with a face too many times, how hard is a faceless one going to be?

"Hello there".

I look up and see my petite, young teacher hurrying in with a pile of boxes and books.

"Professor Bell, would you like some help?" I rush to her side.

"Thank you, Rose", she said as she handing me the pile of books and set it down at her desk.

"Phew! That was a challenge", she commented looking at her desk. "So how come you're so early?"

I shrugged, "I like being early".

"Seriously, Rose? You kids these days are strange. I don't think I was in class on time until my seventh year".

I chuckle, "So how was your summer, professor?"

"Ugh! So annoying. My older half-sister Katie was over for summer break from Germany with her husband and kids and she has this annoying friend Leanne who was over _all the time_. On top of that, my brother-in-law brought his younger brother as well who just wouldn't stop hitting on me and I have a boyfriend but still he's like, 'Julia, let's go out for drinks tonight or Julia, take me sightseeing'. I mean his accent's kind of cute but still, like…" Just then Professor Bell flushed a bright red when she saw my amused face. "And I can't _wait_ to be promoted to Charms teacher. If Only Flitwick would retire _already_, he's like a hundred!"

"Professor, you're so funny".

"Glad you think so", she rolled her eyes. "Seriously, I have no one here to vent out my frustration to. I mean I love my seventh years and sixth years because you guys understand, right? I'm so glad Ted's here now honestly. All the other teachers are way too old".

"You know Ted?"

"Yeah, we were in school together. He was in my year. We were really good friends even though I was Ravenclaw and he was Gryffindor".

"He's my cousins' godbrother and he's also married to my other cousin. Do you know Victoire?"

"Yeah, she was two years below us. She's really pretty isn't she?"

I nodded. Just then the bell rang signaling the start of first period.

"Hurry to your desk now, Rose".

So I did and soon, a mob of sixth year students piled in. I watched as the Gryffindors and—_Slytherins_? I looked at my timetable. How could I not have noticed we have Defense with Slytherins? That means the blond devil will be here as well! I got up from my seat and quickly moved further away from the doors and near the window where I hoped to be invisible for most of class. No such luck.

"Hey, Rose!" Bonnie called out as she came towards me. I put my bag on the ground so she could sit on the chair next to me. "What are you doing at the very back?"

"Hey, _Barbie_!" Louis called out to her from a couple seats ahead of me before I could even answer her. He motioned with his finger for her to come to him and pointed at the seat next to him. Bonnie blushed and looked at me.

"Go ahead", I said and she giddily walked to where he was sitting and took a seat next to him. I watched as they quietly played with each other's hands and giggled. Bonnie was putting her finger near his face and he was trying to catch it with his mouth. To be honest, I was gagging the whole time. I know they're my friends but he doesn't have to suck her finger in class! Merlin, people these days! I was relieved when Amanda and Donny came in and took the pair of seats in front of me.

"All by yourself?" Donny asked me.

I nodded then pointed at Bonnie who was now having each of her five fingers kissed by Louis.

"Why do they have to do that in _class_?" Donny grunted.

"My Donny here is not one for public displays of affection unless he's had a few to drink", she told me like I cared.

I also saw Emma and Priya sitting on the other side of the classroom stealing glances my way. I gave Emma a small smile but she quickly turned her head away. I don't think she was being rude. I think she was just startled I caught her staring at me; or rather the piece of plastic and metal around my upper half.

Most of the Slytherins came in after the Gryffindors. I just sat there trying to contain my heavy, nervous breathing and watched people passing me by looking at my brace, and walking along to find seats. I had removed my bag from the seat next to me in case anyone wanted to sit next to me although I prayed it wouldn't be _him_. Kylie Montague and Monica Bletchley took a seat at the pair of desks on my right.

"Hi, Rose", Monica said. "How are you doing now?"

"Much better, thanks", I said casually.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Not that much. I take painkillers anyway", I shrug.

"How did it happen anyway?" Kylie asked.

This was probably my twentieth time repeating the stupid made-up story. "I slipped on the dungeon stairs on my way to the Slytherin common room", I said without thinking.

"Oh…" Kylie nodded.

So we went back to our books without another word until Monica suddenly burst out.

"Hang on! We were _in_ the common room when you came in. You were _fine_…"

My eyes widened and I was silent for a moment. How could I have forgotten that I had run into them? I knew Amanda and Donny who were in front of me had heard because they turned around to look at me.

"I-I don't know", I said in a small voice. "It…it m-must ha—"

"Hey, Rose!"

We all look up and see Albus and Lance coming towards us from their respective seats next to Damien and Mark.

Lance stops by their desk. "Hey, Kylie. How about Quidditch tonight? Just you and me…" I see Kylie blush so I just look away. What is it with people these days; all they do is smooch and blush and smooch and blush and smooch and blush.

"Rose, how come you're sitting by yourself?" Al asks me.

I sigh annoyed at the fact that I'd have to repeat myself, "Bonnie's sitting with Louis".

I look around the classroom. Most people have partners except for a few but there's still a few students who aren't here yet, including Scorpius.

"Oh. Well, do you want me to sit next to you?"

"No", I say. Al raises a brow at me. "I mean, you're bag is already at the seat next to Damien. And it's not that big of a deal".

Al went back to his seat and most of my friends began to take a seat. I should have just said yes to hs offer now that I think about it. The thought of Scorpius made me nervous, even frightened, and the fact that I'm sitting alone scared me more. I saw Zack Riches sitting by himself and I was debating whether to just go sit next to him but before I could, Nick Longbottom got up from his seat next to Ricky Coote and went to sit with Zack instead. There is no way I'm sitting next to Coote! But maybe I should. I mean something's better than nothing. Before long though, a Slytherin girl named Karen Lerner rushed in and took that seat so it didn't matter anyway. Two other Slytherin girls entered and finally, Professor Bell shut the door with a wave of her wand and cleared her throat. Scorpius didn't come and surprisingly I began to relax

"Good morning, everyone", she said sweetly.

"Good morning, Professor Bell", we all said.

"So how was your summer, guys? Anyone do anything exciting?"

Most of the class just shrugged and muttered "not really" or "kinda".

"So you guys are in sixth year; exciting, no? You guys are seniors now. Just think, next year you'll all be preparing for your Convocation!"

"Professor, who cares about convocation? it's all about the grad-ball!" Bonnie said.

"Oh right; of course! I remember mine a couple years ago. My date co-coordinated his tie with my dress and…gosh I never even kept in touch with him!"

The class just chuckled and threw random questions at her like what was the colour of her dress or how much she drank. I found it all stupid so I just stared out the window and watched a late Herbology student running towards the greenhouses. I wonder why Scorpius didn't come to class, he wasn't at breakfast either. I wasn't concerned or anything but everything about him gave me the chills.

"Okay, guys, but it's not all about the graduation ball. You need to remember this is an extremely important year for you. I mean, you guys are NEWT students now and it's time to gear up with the studying. You know it's important not to skip classes anymore and do your homework daily, right? And I'm not going to accept late assignments without a note anymore so managing your time wisely this year is extremely important. Start your projects early and start studying for your tests early. I'm not going to have you guys coming to my office at seven-thirty in the morning on the day of the test in hopes of learning the whole chapter right there on the spot. I won't re-teach it, guys, so come to class! So now that we've talked a little bit, we need to get on with the agenda for today. First things first; don't get too comfortable in your seats because I have a seating plan for you guys".

"Aw, professor, come on!" I heard people whine.

"We'll be good", someone else said.

"Do I look stupid to you, Mr. Weasley?" She chuckled.

"Okay, everyone, stand at the back with your stuff and I'll direct you to your seats", she said pulling out a parchment with her seating plan.

I got up lazily and put my textbooks back in my book bag. I was pushing my chair in and Donny took my book bag since I couldn't carry too much load.

"Thanks!" I said surprised.

"No problem", He said. He and Amanda smiled at me like a weird married couple or something.

Once everyone had shuffled to the back, Professor Bell began.

"So this is in alphabetical order but I will make changes if I feel something isn't working out. Let's start with Monica Bletchley and Ricky Coote; up front over here please", she said pointing to the pair of desks in towards the right in the front row. "Emma Finnegan and Dana Harper", she pointed at the front row desks in the middle. "Amanda Jordan and Karen Lerner; right here", she pointed to the front row desks to the left now. After that she did the second row the same way. "Nick Longbottom and Scorpius Malfoy".

I froze. Everyone looked around.

"He seems to be missing today", she said as she marked it down on her attendance. "No problem, just take your seat, Nick, and tomorrow you can help him catch up on anything he misses".

I snorted. Like he'd _care_. I didn't realize I had snorted quite loudly because quite a few people turned their heads to look at me.

"Moving on", the professor said. "Bonnie Matthews and Kylie Montague; second row, middle please".

Bonnie's eyes widened and she looked at me. Kylie wasn't exactly an enemy and they don't really fight or anything but they had always had a bit of competition between each other, and I'm guessing now that Louis and Bonnie are kind of, sort of, maybe together, the competition might have heightened slightly. Nonetheless, both smiled at each other politely, no matter how fake, and took their seats.

"Priya Patil and Albus Potter".

I saw Priya and Emma give each other an amused look since they apparently have a thing for Al. It's pathetic if you ask me; he'd never go for either of them.

"Mark Pucey, Zack Riches; third row to the right. Donny Thomas, Lance Vaisey; third row middle please".

Lance Donny and Mark looked at each other and grinned widely at the thought of sitting near each other. However, professor Bell also noticed.

"Oh, _Merlin_! Boys, if this doesn't work out, I'll put you up front", she warned. When Donny and Lance sat at their seats, Kylie and Bonnie, who were in front of them, immediately turned around to chat.

"Laura Walter and…_Louis_ _Weasley_…oh geez you all are in the same row!" She said looking at Mark, Donny and Lance, and Louis. They all grinned at her in a goofy way. She sighed, "third row; left please. Guys, if I see you yappin' throughout the whole lesson or doing anything stupid in my class, I swear I will move you boys".

They nodded. "Professor, we're angels!" Louis called out.

"Plus, we have good, little Zack here to keep us in line", Lance said. Zack just looked a bit startled by the mention of him and the rest rolled their eyes at him.

"Yeah, I'll have Zack and Laura report to me", she rolled her eyes and chuckled. "And finally, we only have two people in the last row. Rose Weasley and Damien Zabini".

I looked at Damien and a smile formed on my face. I like Damien; he's nice and polite. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad…Damien smiled at me warmly and helped me with my bag to the very back of the classroom. I was in the exact seat at had gotten up from.

"I don't usually put students at the very back. I usually just pull the two desks up but I don't think either of you will cause any problems…", she said to us.

"Hey, Rose, how are you doing now by the way?" Damien whispered to me.

"Not bad", I said.

"I head you've been pretty down all weekend?"

"Yeah, I guess", I sighed. "I just…it's just…I don't know. Nothing's been going really well".

"That's okay. You're back will heal, you know? Everything will get better; it always does".

"I hope so", I said as I turned to look out the window once again. I didn't mean to be so unsocial and unfriendly but I really was not in the mood. I don't expect myself to be cheery or lively either. I mean I think I at least have the right to be down after what happened to me. I don't want to feel sorry for myself and I don't exactly want others to feel sorry for me either but it kills me to remember what Scorpius did two nights ago! And I want justice…I think. I know the day had just begun but I couldn't wait for it to end. I just wanted to crawl under my covers in my bed and stay there. But even there I don't feel so hidden anymore…

"Rose!" I looked to my side, startled. Damien was whispering to me from the corner of his mouth. "We have a diagnostic test. Get your quill!"

"Huh?" I looked around and saw my professor handing out the last few test papers and making her way back to her test.

"You may begin…" she looked down at her watch for a moment, "now".

I looked around still confused. A test on the first day? How was I supposed to know there would be a test? I would have studied!

_Rose, it's a diagnostic, just to test previous knowledge, _Damien wrote on a scrap piece of paper and shoved it my way. I sighed out of relief and looked at the test paper. It seemed fairly easy and I finished it in twenty minutes and waited for the next ten minutes for my class to finish. For the rest of the class, the professor just reviewed last year's OWL Defense stuff but I barely paid attention. I was kind of tired since I had a rough weekend and I was kind of bored since I remembered all the material.

"Rose, it's time to pack up", Damien said to me when there was only five minutes till ten-thirty left.

"Finally", I sighed. "I hate first days; they're completely pointless if you ask me".

"Not necessarily", he chuckled.

"But, you see, they _are_", I insisted. "There's no point of teaching last year's stuff. She should just move on with the first lesson".

"Oh, Rose, stop boasting, we all know you've got a sharp brain and you remember everything".

"I'm not _boasting_!" I pretended to be offended. "And there's nothing to boast about anyways. I'm quite the farthest thing from sharp".

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see then. At least you can help me with Defense and Transfiguration this term".

"We have transfiguration together as well?" I asked him as I looked at my timetable again. "I didn't notice".

I gulped. So I have two classes with the Slytherins…two classes with Scorpius.

"Rose, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Damien", I smiled. "Just need to adjust my brace a little". I don't exactly know why I'm nervous and frightened…maybe the not knowing part is the reason…

"I can carry your bag to second period".

"Thanks, I really appreciate it. Honestly, I really like sitting next to you, I hope Ted—I mean Professor Lupin—does the same thing".

Damien smiled shyly and nodded. "So did you ever get to looking over your books like you had planned to?"

I snorted, "This weekend was way too stressful".

Just then, the bell rang and Damien and I piled out with everyone else. I felt kind of awkward because people kept moving aside and making way for me. I mean I know they're being polite and all but it's really unnecessary, I can walk in crowds.

"Hey", Al said as he joined us in the corridor on our way to Transfiguration. "Damien, did you see that?"

"See what?"

"I told you she likes him!"

Damien raised a brow, "Who?"

"Montague! I told you!"

"Guys!" I interrupted, "What are you talking about?"

Al began "Well, Kylie and Monica were staring at Lance at the welcome feast and I told him but he didn't think so".

"Who cares?" I snorted. Wow, I still couldn't believe things like this are the highlight of some people's days while others have much bigger things to worry about.

"I don't think so, Al", Damien said.

"Oh come on!" Al laughed and insisted. "Monica's always coming by in our dorm with petty excuses just to talk to him!"

"Al, no one cares about this", I say without any expression.

"Fine!" He says. "So how did you guys find that test?"

"It was easy", Damien said. "Just review".

Al and I nodded in agreement and we finally reached Transfiguration. I was going to sit at the very back again with Damien but Al invited him to sit next to him. Lucky for me, Bonnie called out to me from somewhere in the middle rows and I took a seat next to her.

"I told Louis I'm sitting with you in Transfiguration".

"I'm honored", I mutter and she rolls her eyes.

"By the way, where's Scorpius? I thought he'd strap you to a seat next to himself or something", she giggled. But I only shrugged.

"I have no idea".

Louis sat in front of us and after most of the class was settled, Ricky Coote took a seat next to him, making him directly in front of me. I grunted but no one said anything.

I looked around; everyone was sitting with their friends. Donny and Amanda were together as usual, Al and Damien were together, Lance and Mark, Kylie and Monica, Emma and Priya and so on. I did notice a seat next to Slytherin Dana Harper empty. Scorpius wasn't here. I sighed out of relief and soon, Ted came in.

"Hello, everybody", he said closing the door behind him. "Most of you probably don't know me but I'm Pofessor Ted Lupin and I'll be teaching you Transfiguration this year. Your teacher from last year took an early retirement so I'll be your teacher for the rest of your time here at Hogwarts".

Most of Transfiguration was the same as Defense. We did a diagnostic test, went over some of last year's course material and he lectured us about how important this year is.

"I can't wait till lunch!" I said to Bonnie.

"It's only eleven-fifteen, Rose", she chuckled. "There's still forty-five minutes left".

"I know but I'm hungry", I sigh.

"That's what you get for not having proper breakfast". I glare at her and she chuckles again. "I think I might have an apple or something in my bag".

Bonnie gives me her apple and I eat it quickly. "I'm even more hungry now!" I whine.

"Rose!" Louis turns around. "Stop talking! I'm trying to concentrate".

"Shut up!" I say and Bonnie rolls her eyes.

"Do you guys have spare after lunch?" Louis asked us.

"I have Care of Magical Creatures", Bonnie sighs.

"Why did you take that course, Bon, it's pointless?" I say

"Its easy marks", she shrugs.

"I was thinking we could all go play fanged Frisbee outside or something", Louis said.

"I have spare", I say.

"Great! So does Donny…I think…" He said.

Suddenly, Ricky who was sitting next to Louis turned around. "Could you all just be quiet for _once_? Geez!"

"No asked you to park your ass here!" Louis retorted.

"Shut up, Weasley!"

"Why couldn't you go sit next to Dana Harper or something?" Bonnie asked him. Ricky glared at her. It was obvious he still hadn't forgotten how we lied on the train.

"Maybe I will", he said through gritted teeth before getting up, gathering his things and leaving.

"Why is he so annoying?" Louis said.

"He still hates us", I mutter.

Bonnie shrugs, "who cares".

Just then, there was a knock on the classroom door and we all looked at Ted—Professor Lupin—who got up from his desk at the front and went to receive the door.

"I wonder who it is…" Bonnie said. She turned her head, "It's McGonagall…she's talking to Lupin…oh and there's someone with her".

"Who is it?" I ask.

"A boy. I can't really see from her, door's not open wide enough".

A moment later, Lupin steps back in. "Class, stop what you're doing for a second please".

We all put our quills down and looked at our professor.

"Guys, we have a new student. I don't know if you're on personal terms with him or not but he'll be joining us for the rest of the term". The professor stepped aside and at the doorway was none other than last year's transfiguration failure Casey Warrington.

Louis and some of the boys who are friends with him like Lance and Mark smirked.

"Hey, it's the orangutan!" Mark said loudly. Most of the people, including Warrington, laughed but that's just because they're stupid and don't know good humor from bad. Seriously, it's just an insult to orangutans.

Lupin cleared his throat. "Mr. Warrington", Lupin said. "Seat yourself wherever you find an empty desk. We have a student absent today but starting from tomorrow, I'll make sure we have twenty-one desks".

Casey nodded and quickly made his way to where Louis was sitting and took a seat at the empty desk next to him.

"What's up, guys. McGonagall's making me take sixth year Transfiguration again", he laughed.

I highly think that isn't anything to be proud of.

"Don't fuck up again", Louis laughed with him.

Warrington snickered until the professor, who was going over our diagnostics, shot him a stern look. "Mr. Warrington, please switch seats with Miss Matthews. You'll surely benefit from this course with Miss Weasley's help".

Although I'm flattered—sort of—I can't help but groan to myself slightly.

"What's up, Rose…what's that _thing _around you_?"_

"It's a brace", I mutter.

"What's it for?"

"Fashion"

And I go back to reading my textbook to show him that I am in no mood to socialize. He didn't get the hint.

"So do you have your apparation license?"

"I just turned sixteen in May, Casey".

"Oh right…I forgot. I have mine. Do you have a driver's license?"

"No, I didn't have time this summer".

"Me neither. My family's been pure blood from for generations".

"So?"

Casey shrugged. "We never really bought a car".

"Because you're pureblood?"

"Yeah".

"I know a pureblood that has a black sports…nevermind".

"Malfoy, right?"

"How did you know?" I look at him slightly baffled.

"He got it before he even learned how to drive. That boy is filthy rich and his dad buys him anything he wants".

I look at him curiously, "His dad spoils him?"

"Yeah! His dad's a _minister_, Rose. Always bails him out of shit, buys him whatever the fuck he wants, puts a hundreds galleons in his Gringotts account, like, every _week_!"

"Oh really…" And what about the part where his dad used the cruciatus on him or something? Or whipped him with a belt? Scorpius's dad sounds even more messed up than Scorpius unless what Scorpius says isn't true. I mean a minister wouldn't use unforgivable curses would he? They're illegal for Merlin's sake! Maybe Scorpius is just messed in the head and made all those things up? Yeah, that's probably it…whatever; I don't give a fuck anymore. He could drown in the black lake for all I care.

"So where is he today by the way?"

"Does it look like I know? Why are you asking me?"

"Uh…I don't know…I thought you were his friend".

"So?"

"I don't know, I just thought…well Eric says you two are always together or something".

"That's not true! I'm not his _wife_!"

"Okay, okay, relax, woman! God, Eric's right, you do PMS a lot".

I freeze. "_Eric_ said that?"

Warrington looked alarmed. "What?"

"What does Eric say about me?"

"Nothing, I swear!" He insisted.

"Ugh! You're _all_ the _same_!"

Bonnie and Louis turned around. "Why are you too being so loud", Bonnie asked.

"What page is the reading?" Casey asked.

"It's the first page of the first chapter", Bonnie rolled her eyes.

Casey blushed and after that we all went back to our work with nothing more to say. I saw Louis putting his hand on the back of Bonnie's neck beneath her hair and she shuddered. I just found it awkward since they were right in front of me so I tried not to look up from my textbook much.

"Hey, Weasley", Casey whispered to me. "How 'bout I put my hand on _your_ n—"

"_Don't_…even think about it!"

He sniggered but I just ignored. We didn't talk much after that except for when he asked me questions about the reading. Soon, the time passed by and we were packing up.

"Rosie, I bet you're excited for lunch", Bonnie teased me.

"They better have something good", I said.

"Its fish tacos today; I checked on the bulletin board in the entrance hall".

"Wonderful", I mutter.

The bell rang and the whole school made their way to lunch. I didn't bother pushing past the crowd much; I let the crowd push me.

"Come on, Rose, hurry up", Bonnie urged me so I did.

Lunch wasn't very eventful; just the usual. Ben tried to crack some jokes with me but I only laughed to be polite.

"Guys, who has spare after this?" Louis asked everyone. The seventh year Gryffindors had class after lunch so it was just Donny, Louis and me. Plus Amanda and Bonnie also had class since they're taking an extra course so after deciding three people aren't enough, Louis went over to the Slytherin table and asked Al and his friends.

My gaze followed Louis to the Slytherins and I couldn't help but search for Scorpius. I secretly wanted him to do something to make up for what he did to me. I want something in return for all those times that I stayed by his side. I wanted him to repay me for everything I did so the score would be even and I could walk away once and for all without regret.

Once lunch was over, I went out to the grounds but I didn't really play fanged Frisbee with Louis and the rest of them. I wasn't exactly in the best condition anyway. So I took a seat under a tree with lots of shade and watched some of the other students throwing pebbles in the black lake. I saw Hagrid's Hut and debated whether I should visit him but then I saw his around the edge of the forbidden forest with a bunch of fourth years in red and gold and yellow and black. I waved when I saw Hugo but his friend Colin grabbed his arm and pulled him along in the forest with the rest of the class. Hugo's so lucky. His life is simple; school, friends, and quidditch for fun. He doesn't need to worry about his career yet and I'm sure when it's his time, he won't be as indecisive as me. Hugo doesn't need to worry about disappointing our parents or losing his friends or keeping himself safe…

As I opened my book bag to search for my chocolate bar which I was craving, I heard sniffling coming from behind me. I turned around and saw another book bag behind me. Someone—a girl—was sitting on the other side of my tree. So I moved closer to her and once again, I was shocked by who I saw. It was Dominique. She was crying again. In fact, she looked quite sleep deprived. I didn't know whether I should say something to her or not. She'd yell at me, I know…but she looked so vulnerable and broken. I couldn't just ignore her. I mean, I know it's not like she has a disease or she's dying and I can't just leave her but, I don't know, I don't think I can walk away. It's got to be something serious for her to cry like this for the past few days.

"Dominique?" I say after I take a deep breath and gather some courage.

"Huh?" She turns around and looks at me. "_You_? What do you want now?" She grunts.

"N-nothing…uh, are you okay?"

"Seriously, Rose, you've got to stop asking that question. If I was okay, I _wouldn't_ be _crying_, Dumbass!"

"Sorry!" I apologized immediately. "Don't you have class right now?"

"Mind your own business!" She snarled and then started crying again. I was so confused I didn't know whether I should just leave or stay there and offer some support. I mean Dominique is hard as a rock; it takes a lot for her to break down like this.

"Dominique, is there anything I could do for you? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Give me _one_ good reason why I should talk to _you_?" She wailed.

"I-I don't know…uh, you don't have to if you don't want to", I said quickly. "I just thought maybe, well, you are kind of…you know…_family_".

For a moment, Dominique's hard demeanor disappeared but returned a second later. "Are you just saying that to be nice or do you actually give a thestral's shit about '_family'?_" She sniffled.

"I _do_ care!" I insist. "I mean, you and I have never been very close so it may not seem like it but if you do want to confide in me, I swear, I'll keep your secret".

Dominique looked at me sternly for a moment, like she was studying me and then she sighed. "There's no point", she said. "Everyone's going to find out sooner or later anyway…" she muttered.

I wanted to steer away from asking her directly what was wrong or she'd pick up on my curiosity. So I decided then to let her do most of the talking. But then she suddenly started crying again.

"Dominique, talk to me. Crying isn't going to help", I said as I moved closer to her. "Do you want some water?" I offered. She nodded and I reached in my bag and pulled out my water bottle.

"Rose, I can't even tell you how scared I feel right now", she sobbed. "Everything is so wrong and…"

"You're not alone, sister", I mutter. "I'm not exactly my best at the moment either".

"Rose, you're back will heal bu—"

"I'm not talking about my back, Dom".

"Then?"

"I…Friend problems…" I say unsure about how exactly I'm supposed to classify my Scorpius problems.

"What? They talked shit about you?

"Uh—"

"Rose, that's what friends do, they talk shit. It'll be over by next week".

"That's not exactly it…"

"Then what? Trust me whatever you're going through is _nothing_", she muttered and looked away.

"Do you know Scorpius Malfoy?"

"Obviously, Rose! He goes to our school", she rolled her eyes and then she studied me for a moment. "I saw you with him the other day. Are you guys going out or something?"

"No!" I said immediately. I may be dumb enough to befriend him but I'm not that stupid.

"You don't want to go out with him, Rose. Trust me, he's a stoner! And Josh says he's mad".

"I know…" I sighed.

"Josh knows him really well", she said with a quiet voice. And then she started crying again after the mention of Josh.

"Dominique what is it? You have to say something", I insisted.

"I'm being punished! I know it! Oh god…I hate myself…I hate my life!" She sobbed. "It's over—everything!"

"Dominique, don't say that", I put my arm around her.

"Rose, remember that night at Eric's party?"

"Uh huh…you punched me".

"It was an accident", she turned red and looked away.

"What about that night?"

She took a deep breath, "I…I made the biggest mistake of my life that night".

…

**A/N: DUH DUH DUH! Cliff hanger! So what do you guys think is wrong with Dominique? And where has Scorpius disappeared to? Oh my, Rose is extremely hurt and angry, how do you think they'll ever overcome this? And Eric, who just absolutely 'loves' him? Leave me your thoughts and reviews and maybe I'll get another chapter up sooner. You guys who leave me thoughts and new ideas really help feed me brainstorm, even though you don't know it, your reviews really define a lot of this story. And I know you all are probably upset with the lack of Scorpius in this chapter but I'm still working on how he's going to come back their confrontation so if you guys have ideas, throw some at me!**


	32. The Glass That's Always Half Empty

**A/N: I have an important message but I know you're probably jumping in your seat so I'll let you get on with the story but make sure you read the end note! It's important.**

The rest of my day was not as I planned it because I didn't think Dominique's news would upset me this much and make me lose focus on everything else. After my spare period was over, I forced myself to go to my last class of the day; Arithmancy, the only elective I decided to keep. Because Arithmancy is an optional course, the class was a mix of sixth years from all the houses and not very full. Damien and Al were there as well as Zack Riches. I'm not surprised, Zack is pretty smart despite the fact that he hangs out with that icky Ricky. I also saw Jake MacMillan who didn't fail to greet me politely and wish me a well recovery. Monica was there as well which surprised me because sixth year 'arith' is a pretty advanced course and I never thought she was the type to take on a challenge. Another surprise was Emma but she didn't really greet me or talk to me so I didn't either. And then there were a bunch of other sixth years but in total, it was a small class of twelve students. I thought I'd find Amanda here too but I remembered her telling me she has it next term. So I was once again without a partner since Al and Damien were sitting together. I looked at Jake but he was with his Hufflepuff friend Oren Cauldwell and Emma had pulled Zack to sit with her so I sat there sort of lonely until Monica took a seat next to me.

"Oh thank goodness you're here, Rose. I really didn't want to sit by myself or next to one of these _nerds_", she snorted.

I really didn't find it all that funny. Actually it was pretty rude and when I didn't respond with a chuckle like she expected, she became quiet and sort of embarrassed I think.

"Monica, if you're in this class, then you're probably a nerd too", I said jokingly. She just gave a light, forced laugh. I didn't care though.

After that, Professor Vector came in and got down to business immediately. She gave us an outline of all the topics we'd be covering and all the essay theses in case we wanted to start our research early and the list of all the homework she'll be assigning this term. This is the reason why I love this teacher! After that, she just started lecturing us about the importance of this year but I found that I could not concentrate.

Actually, even if I wanted too, I wouldn't be able to focus. What Dominique had told me earlier wasn't wrapping around my head to easily and I was sort of distraught. No matter what, she's my cousin and I don't want to see her life crumble into tiny pieces she won't be able to collect…Yet I was afraid.

…

At dinner, my behavior towards Eric was very cold. He tried to talk to me but I showed him that I had no interest in talking to him. I didn't tell him that I was offended that he's complaining about me behind my back to his friends so he was quite confused. I'm sure Casey will eventually have to tell him he spilled the beans but I don't really care. Bonnie nudged me a couple of times to ask me in a quiet voice why I'm being so 'dry' to the guy. I just ignored her. I could tell however that Ben who was sitting across me and Donny who was beside him noticed because their gazes lingered between Bonnie and me for a moment as if they were trying to listen in.

I didn't really have homework today since it's the first day so after dinner, I lounged in the common room with Louis and Donny and Amanda while we waited for Bonnie to finish her Care of Magical Creatures reading. It was taking slightly longer than it should with Louis's interruptions involving distracting kisses and awkward flirting.

"Babe, can you stop please?" Bonnie giggled when he kept blowing in her ear.

"Are you two, like, a couple again?" Donny asked.

"Sort of…" Bonnie blushed.

"This time it's real, right?" Louis looked at her.

"My _feelings_ were always real", Bonnie muttered.

"I still don't understand what happened and why you broke up?" Donny interrupted.

"It's not important anymore", Amanda cut in.

I was quiet the whole time because in all honesty, I felt awkward. I felt like the odd one out. Whenever it's the five of us, I always feel like it's a double date sort of thing and I'm the random, weird girl who's just there because she has no other friends. I also wasn't very cheery since I couldn't stop thinking about Dominique. Dominique committed a crime? How could she just do that to her own parents plus the innocent family? I mean okay, she was frightened but did she think about what she was doing? She chose to put herself before her family.

And Louis? How strange is it that his sister is a wreck? A criminal _and_ a victim while his days are filled with nothing but content? Then again, he doesn't even know. What will happen when he does learn of her betrayal? What about that other family. Will they get justice? At who's expense?

I didn't feel like sitting around with the rest of them so I decided to go to the grounds and take a walk in whatever light there is left before dark. But then I suddenly remembered Dominique and decided that maybe I should pay her a visit.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked me when I got up from the couch.

"I'm going to go see Dominique", I reply.

They all give me a confused look.

"You mean Dominique as in my sister?" Louis asked.

"The one and only".

"But she _hates_ you".

I shrug and make my way up the tower to the 7th year dorms, leaving the four of them bewildered. When I went in her dorm, Dominique was lying on her bed staring into space.

"Dom?"

"Huh?" She looked up. "Oh…you. What do you want?"

"Dominique, did you have dinner?" I ask her not sure where to begin exactly.

"No", she said flatly and went back to staring at nothing.

"Dominique, not eating isn't going to help. You shoul—"

"I just broke up with Josh", she blurt.

"Oh", I say softly. "I'm sorry".

"I'm not", she sighed. "I had to do it. I don't want to be involved in his world anymore".

"Was he upset?"

"He was in love with me".

"Oh", I say again softly.

"I have no future with him".

"I see".

"I would have never met his gang…It's all _his_ fault—I don't know…I don't want anything to do with him".

"Did he ever hurt you?"

"No…he was really good to me", she said.

"Well, I think you made the right decision", I said to her.

"Yeah, I know", she sighed.

"If he really loves you, he'll leave Carbon's gang and maybe he'll, I don't know, change his ways…maybe?"

"He won't. I know. He'll never leave that son of a bitch!" she said with hate. We were both quiet again until Dominique broke the silence. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"Um, I don't know".

"No, I mean it; do you have some sort of ulterior motive or something? Why the fuck would you care about me? I was a bitch to you; remember?"

"Yeah but it doesn't matter anymore. Besides I forgive really easily", I joked.

"It'll get you killed someday, Rose", she rolled her eyes.

"But seriously, Dom, you should tell someone before it's too late. I mean it wasn't your entire fault".

"I wish I didn't go with them that night", she sighed. "I wish I didn't even get in Josh's car! I mean I should've just gone home with Louis that night".

"Well, what does Ryla say about all this? Have you talked to her yet?"

"I did. That day when you saw me near the boy's dorms in the Slytherin Dungeons? Yeah I went to talk to her about it?"

"Why was she in the boy's dorm?"

"I dunno, mackin' up Frankie Dunn or something", Dominique shrugged. "She thinks we should just forget about it and no one's going to notice for years…I don't know! I was so upset I just came out crying"

"Um, maybe that Ravenclaw girl's family might go into their vault for whatever reason. If the ministry finds out sooner than you think, the aurors are going to be on the search…"

"So?"

"What if they trace back to you? I mean, okay, Carbon threatened you but you're the one who physically took the gold"

"So what should I do?"

"You should tell your dad".

"I can't—"

"Your dad will protect you. He's not going to throw you in jail".

"I can't…he'll hate me!" she said bursting into tears. "I'm going to get blamed for everything!"

"You won—"

"Do you honestly think Ryla's going to take my side, Rose?! She's scared as hell of Carbon after what happened. And she's a selfish bitch! She'll protect herself. And Josh, I don't even know what the fuck is up with him but I wouldn't be surprised if he stands by Carbon. I mean he has so many drug issues of his own he's not going to want authorities anywhere near them. Rose, it's easiest to put the blame on me. And it's not just my dad I'm worried about. It's that other family too…and I was kind of drunk so it's hard to remember, what if I say something fucked up and they try to use that truth potion shit on me?"

"Well…do you still remember who was there that night with you?"

"Yeah. Me and Ryla. Josh, Carbon…these two other guys…Josh's sister's boyfriend…Malfoy—"

"Scorpius?" I ask in a breaking voice. Dom noticed.

"Yeah…wait! No, I just remembered he was in the hospital or some shit like that…no Malfoy wasn't there that night".

"Is Scorpius usually with Carbon and Josh and them?"

"Yeah…no, actually, not that much anymore I think. They're all pretty pissed at him for bailing or something. It's because of him that this all happened that night".

"Him?" I gulped. "How?"

"Well, he always provided the cash so without him they were broke and one thing led to another".

I turned my face away and sighed.

"Rose", Dominique said. "I know he seems all nice and shit…but he's not. He's just another Josh….actually Josh still has some decency left in him but…just stay away from Malfoy if you don't want to wind down my road", she sighed.

"I know", I said quietly and we were both silent for a bit, lost in our own sorrows. "He was missing today…"

"Do you want to find him?"

"No!" I spat.

"Why do you hate him all of a sudden?"

"Like you said; he's not as he seems; I discovered that the hard way…"

I appreciated Dom when she didn't ask me a single question about what happened. Then again, she has bigger problems of her own. Neither of us said anything after that and after a while of sitting there, each in her own thoughts, I decided to call it a night and retire to my bed early.

I didn't fall asleep immediately. I wasn't the slightest bit tired. Instead I was thinking. I thought about Dominique and what's going to happen to her. I thought about Scorpius and where he must be at this very moment or what he must be doing. I reminded myself not to care but then I realized I didn't care; I was curious. I want to know so badly about everything he's done. I want to know the details to every single crime he ever committed or every single person he ever hurt. I don't care if I have to know the ugliest but I want to know. I'm sick of his secrets! I don't care if I'll hate him—I already do!—but I don't want to be in the dark anymore while people like Dominique and Damien seem to know more about him than I do. I mean, who are they to know more than me?! I still hate Malfoy but I deserve more.

Somehow, with all my messed up thoughts, I got to thinking about fate. How inevitable is it? After seeing Josh at Scorpius's cottage, I had almost felt relief that I was rid of him. I had thought, Dominique could have this druggy…gangster…whatever the hell he is! I was glad a person like him was out of my life but I hadn't known then that it wasn't true; not really. My fate had this mess written in it and if not through Josh, I received the pain through Scorpius. I don' believe anything Malfoy says anymore about having changed. No matter how well you tame an animal, it is after all an animal.

…

Classes were as uneventful as I had predicted for the next couple of days. I went to all three of my classes every single day and tried to focus as well as I could and sometimes it was easy and sometimes it became a sort of challenge. First period was always the best despite it being morning since my professor isn't too strict. I could take a nap in class and she wouldn't even notice but of course Rose Weasley does not do that! Then again I don't exactly work either. Instead I wander off in my thoughts about Dominique and Scorpius and Eric. I usually need a little nudge from Damien to keep me in line but other than that I found myself improving with keeping focus…I think. I was still not talking to Eric. He tried to make small talk with me but I only gave curt answers. He finally approached me Wednesday night frustrated and demanded I tell him why I'm ignoring him. I told him to think more carefully about who he trusts before blabbering around to people about me. He didn't understand what I meant but I just walked away without explaining. After that he didn't make any more effort but I'm absolutely certain he doesn't know what the hell his fault is because that boy is just so bloody full of it. So he recruited Benjamin as his investigator but I told Ben frankly that I will not be discussing Eric with him. Aside from Ben, Bonnie had been pestering me about it ever since and asked why I'm being rude to '_poor_ _Eric'_? So I explained it to her because otherwise she wouldn't let me breathe in peace and I was glad when she took my side.

Dominique had become more and more depressed as the week went on and I wasn't the only one who noticed. She could often be found around school and near the grounds in sweats or slacks and a t-shirt instead of her usual skirts and dresses. She didn't hang out with Ryla Vane and Sonia Towler that much anymore either except for when she needed someone to sit with at Lunch and Dinner. Many people wondered what was going on with her and rumours started flying everywhere like Dominique's a drug addict or Dominique's failing or Dominique's broke. The most ridiculous of them all was that Dominique was supposedly pregnant with Tyler Higgs' baby. I have no idea how people came up with that but it had become the chart topper. I have no idea why Tyler Higgs? I know they had a thing long ago but still. Sonia wasn't too happy about it but Tyler found it exceptionally hilarious and although he didn't encourage the lies, he didn't exactly put a stop to them either. Louis, who knew it wasn't true, was very upset about this supposed ordeal and fought with people who called his sister inappropriate names like 'whore' and 'slut'. Lucky for Dominique most of the rumours died out when Louis and his friends had a talk with Tyler and demanded he help put a stop to them, and he did. Dominique on the other hand could not give a cow's dung for anything really.

The condition of my spine improving was really the only good thing in my life as the week went on. I had found it terribly difficult to concentrate in the first two periods during the beginning of the week because of all the Dominique and Eric problems but aside from them, Scorpius had also inhabited my mind. He hadn't shown up to class the next day either or the day after. I didn't care for his wellbeing and nor was I worried but I wanted to know simply because….well I like knowing things. I'm not going to be too hard on myself for being a curious person. I found out that his absences were authorized which meant wherever he is, he's with his parents. It's all just a formality; I highly doubt Scorpius is spending quality time with his dad or bonding with his psychotic grandmother.

"Look at you, Rose, all bright and cheery this morning", Damien said when he came in and took a seat next to me a few minutes before the morning bell rang.

"It's Friday!" I said excitedly. "I hope we don't get homework this weekend".

"Same here!" I watched as Damien unloaded his bag with his Defense stuff.

Amanda and Donny also came by to greet us. "Someone say weekend?" Donny sighed.

"Yeah!" I grinned.

"Thank, Merlin! This week could not get any slower than for me", Amanda nodded.

"You?" Donny looked at her, "Think of me, love. I survived the whole week with that one there", he jerked his thumb pointing at Louis.

"He's still mad about those rumours?" Damien asked.

Donny nodded, "He threatened to punch a _girl_".

"You're his best friend, it's your job to calm him", Amanda rolled her eyes.

"I know. But I found an empty bottle of firewhiskey in his bed yesterday morning", Donny shook his head in disapproval. "Every time he's mad, he has to drink. I have no idea why and it kind of scares me a little. I mean it could lead to alcoholism or something".

Amanda rolled her eyes, "I think you're exaggerating just a little".

"What did you do with it?" I asked.

"Disposed it…magically".

I nodded and looked at Louis who was at Bonnie's desk. "He seems to be fine now", I said noticing a boyish smirk on his face and blush on Bonnie's light cheeks.

"He's okay now but I'm still wondering what's up with Dominique", Amanda said quietly.

"She's gotten less scary, that's for sure", Donny snorted.

"I never thought she could be so, I don't know, _normal_", Damien agreed. "She always looked like she was going clubbing or something with her little posse, shutting every party down".

I chuckled lightly because I know that they all know that I'm the only one who knows Dom's secret. I had been spending a lot more time with her in her room or taking walks with her around the grounds. A lot of people like Bonnie and Amanda, Al and Ben, Donny, and even Louis asked me what's happened to her but I was honest and told them all, even her brother, that I couldn't say because it's not my business to tell people and she'll share her feelings with whomever she chooses. Of course they still kept pestering me about it so I just became harsher until the message got through. I think I had been a little mean to Ben yesterday when he kept asking. I had totally forgotten he might still have that soft spot for Dominique. Or maybe he just assumed I would confide in him and was offended when I didn't. Lately I felt myself drifting from Ben. It wasn't like I was doing it on purpose, I think it's because we're running out of things to talk about now so we don't really talk anymore. I mean I'm definitely not interested his stories and his issues, which I think he picked up on, and I don't share anything about my life with him either. Actually I don't think I share anything with anyone anymore. It's not that I'm trying to be secretive or trying to push my friends away…it's just that I don't know if they'd understand.

Defense passed by faster than usual. Professor Bell wasn't too strict today since its Friday so once she gave us our worksheets we were basically chatting away and visiting our friends' desks for the most part. Donny and Amanda turned around so the four of us split up the questions and got the answers down within half an hour. I noticed Damien and I becoming more and more acquainted with each passing day. Before we were just two people who were sort of friends and talked occasionally but now we joked around and chatted a lot. I liked it though; Damien reminds me of Al. After finishing the work Donny went to Louis's desk where they were playing a game with the other boys while Bonnie and Kylie watched and giggled like little girls. Not long after, Professor Bell told Donny to go back to his desk or she'll assign more work and so the rest of them got to work. Our professor gave us Monday's reading for a head start since we didn't have anything else to do and Donny and Amanda turned back in their seats and began reading while I just loafed.

"Rose we still have like forty minutes, just read it and get it over with", Damien nagged me.

"I've done enough work for one day", I grunted and rested my head on my desk.

Damien sighed, "You are the laziest person I know yet you still manage to get the highest grade in our year. How is that possible?"

"First of all, Damien, I am not the highest in our year. Only certain classes. Second, it's genetics. My mum gave me her smart genes".

"Smart genes? That's ridiculous!" He chuckled. "Hey, uh, can I ask you something?" He said after a moment of silence.

"Sure".

"Do you, um, fancy _Eric Wood_?"

I was slightly taken aback since I didn't think he'd know that. "Who told you?"

"Uh, no one actually. I just overheard…do you?"

I thought for a moment. "I don't know", I sighed. "I sort of did but I don't know anymore".

Damien smiled and nodded. "Why?"

I shrugged, "I don't think he's my type".

"You have a type?"

I blushed, "Well yeah…I guess…I don't know, I mean doesn't everyone have an ideal?" Damien nodded. "Do you?" I asked him.

"What? Have a type? No".

"No I mean, do you like anyone?"

Damien blushed again, "what makes you think that?"

"I don't. That's why I'm asking".

"Get back to work, Rose", he rolled his eyes and went back to his reading.

"Oh come on, tell me", I whined.

"Rose, this booklet isn't going to read itself".

"Damien!"

"What?" He said without looking up from the page.

"Tell me. Who do you like?"

"Why don't you tell me who you like?"

"Stop turning the question on me!"

"Stop disturbing my learning".

"Fine!"

"Fine", he laughed. "But seriously, we should really get back to this", he pointed at the booklet.

"Damien, why are you such an angel?" I asked sarcastically causing Damien to turn pink. "Your parents must _love_ you!"

Damien rolled his eyes, "Don't all parents love their kids?"

"Okay true". After that we both went back to reading about the Patronus charm and dementors. After a couple minutes, I just remembered what Damien said about having 'overheard' about me and Eric. What does that mean?

"Hey Damien?"

"Mhm?"

"Where did you overhear about me and Eric not working out?"

"What?" He put his papers down.

"Yeah. You said you overheard? I want to know who's talking about me and why?" I said a bit harshly not exactly loving the idea that people are discussing me.

"I don't know—I mean—I just…"

"Damien…"

"Fine", he sighed. "But you can't say anything okay?"

"I promise", I nodded eagerly.

"Eric came by our common room and I heard him tell Lance ".

"What was he saying?"

"That's not important. I'm not answering any more questions".

"Fine", I grunted. "I already know he's nagging and complaining about me".

"You do?"

"Casey accidently told me", I nodded. "I didn't know he was telling Lance too. I mean, he's making me look bad to everyone and I'm not really like that".

"I know. But I don't think he's telling everybody. It might just be Casey and Lance that's it. He's very close with Lance".

"Yeah, it seems like it".

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about—before you got me off topic, missy!"

I chuckled. "What?"

Suddenly, Damien leaned in and began to whisper. "Remember how you were asking about Lance's sister?"

"Yeah", I whispered.

"Did you ever manage to ask Scorpius about it?"

"Well…not exactly. I'm scared; I don't think he'll want to talk about it", I say quietly as I remember what happened last weekend in my dorm room. I shuddered and Damien raised a brow at me.

"That's what I thought. I was going to tell you that if you want to get anywhere near figuring out what really happened with Scorpius and Lance's cousin and those boys that Easter of fourth year, then as of right now, your best bet is Eric".

"What? How would he…?"

Damien nodded, "Lance and Eric go way back. I don't know exactly but I know that if anyone was to know Lance's deepest secrets, it's highly likely that it would be Eric".

"But, Damien, how can I just...? I can't exactly go up to him and be like 'so, Eric, would you mind telling me what happened to Lance's sister and why she left Hogwarts?'"

"Yeah, well you've got to figure that out. Maybe you could be friends—"

"Uh, no!" I shook my head. "Do you know how awkward it is? I mean I think he's probably going to call off our date anyway".

"Don't let him! Be smart, Rose", he shrugged.

…

Damien's advice had me wondering and thinking about Eric and Lance throughout all of Transfiguration.

"Hey, Rose. Mind sharing some of your answers?"

"Huh?" I looked at Casey who was nudging me. "Yes. Very much".

"Is that a 'yes, I'd very much like to share my answers' or a 'yes, I'd very much mind sharing my answers?"

"Do your own damn work, Casey!"

"The latter then, I guess".

I went back to my thoughts. So Lance and Eric 'go back'? What does that mean? How close are they? Closer than Al and his friends are with Lance. Were Eric and Lance friends since the time when Scorpius and Lance were friends? Was Eric just like them? No he couldn't have been? He's been friends with James since forever! And he's always been a regular kid with a nice family.

"Guys!" Bonnie turned around in her seat. "Let's have a party tomorrow night?"

I raised a brow at her, "for what?"

"No reason. I just want a party!"

Louis sighed, "Baby girl, it's the first weekend after school started and you're already bored?"

"Yeah", Bonnie blushed.

"I hope you get homework in your other class!" I cursed her.

"Thanks 'best friend'" she said sarcastically.

"Hey, Rose, do you know where my sister is going to be after lunch?" Louis asked me.

"She has class after lunch", I told him. "If you want to talk to her, just talk at lunch".

"In front of everyone? What if they gossip?"

"So just go for a walk with her in the grounds or something. Merlin, Louis, she's your sister! Talking to your sister isn't that big of a deal and contrary to popular belief, no one really cares about your personal lives!"

"Fine, fine! No need to lash out on me", he muttered.

Bonnie and Casey looked back and forth between the two of us before she spoke, "So how about that party now?"

…

Lunch was the same as usual except Dominique came by and sat with Louis and me. I thought everyone would be uncomfortable but since more than half of us here are her cousins it wasn't too bad. I could tell Ben kept glancing her way as if trying to get a good view of her dressed down and for some reason, I felt he was smitten with this casual version of her. I tried to ignore it at first but when I saw his constant glances turning into stares, I tried to spark conversation with him to divert his focus but I was surprised by his response. I mean, sure I want to help Dominique find some friends and help her with confessing to her dad about what she did but there is no way I'm putting Ben on the line for that.

"Benjamin we've barely talked all week", I smiled at him.

"I tried to chat with you on Wednesday evening and Thursday at lunch but you were sort of _busy_ _thinking_", he said sarcastically and I turned pink.

"Well, I had a lot on my mind, I wasn't in the mood to chat", I muttered.

"Yes, Rose, you've made that very clear", and with that he turned to chat with Fred while I sat there eyes wide and mouth hanging open; stunned.

I could tell the people around me at the Gryffindor table were the same way; Ben had never rejected me like that and _that_ did _not_ feel good.

…

Arithmancy was the worst of my classes today. Monica and I were working together trying to figure out the magical properties of number seven when Monica suddenly brought up my back injury.

"I saw Madam Cornfoot yesterday. She said it's nothing too serious. It'll just heel itself but I have to keep the brace on for a couple more weeks", I told her when she asked.

"That's wonderful!" she said. "Will you be playing quidditch in November?"

"I don't know. I hope so—if I heel in time".

"Good luck! Did you tell your parents yet?"

"Yeah", I lied.

The truth was, I told Madame Cornfoot that I would write to my Mum and tell her on my own accord even though I didn't plan on doing any such thing. I thought my plan was flawless until Tuesday night when I ran into Hugo in the common room. It was hard to lie to him because he just kept asking questions I couldn't answer like "Why are you making me swear not to tell mum and dad if it's just an accident? They aren't going to punish you". Or "Why were you in the Slytherin dungeons anyway? Wasn't Al with you? Were you there to see Scorpius? Why is it that you're _injured_ every time you see _him_?" I don't know how I managed to dodge those questions but I had this feeling in my gut that although neither Hugo nor I touched the point exactly, we both knew his guess isn't that far from the truth. Hugo was mad at me throughout the week because I wouldn't tell Mum and Dad about my injury and he made it sound like it's more serious than I'm taking it. I saw him and Colin cramped in an armchair in the Gryffindor common room reading his quidditch book and I said hi to them but Collin was the only one who greeted me back so I just sighed and retired to bed.

"So, Rose? How come Malfoy's been absent this week? Is he sick?"

I raised a brow at her completely random question. "How do I know?"

"Well, you are his friend. His only friend, really".

"So? That doesn't mean anything, okay? And we're _not_ friends like that if you must know. We're just acquaintances; I don't _keep_ _tabs_ on him".

"Rose, what's the matter? I was just asking a question".

"That's fine. And I answered you."

Monica sighed, "Listen, I don't mean to be frank or anything but if you're just acquaintances, how come you went in his dorm that day?"

I gave her an unpleasant look. "Don't _you_ go in there all the time to see Lance?"

"How do you…"

"Word gets around you know".

"Okay but I'm never in there alone with him, it's usually me and Kylie or Mark is there—"

"What exactly are you trying to say? Please be clear".

"It seems like there's something going on between the two of you…"

"We're just _friends_", I sighed in annoyance.

"I know, I know. It's better that way. I mean he's pretty violent. One time last year he got into a fight with someone so he knocked over the coffee table in our common room and it almost hit this first year and she started crying".

"Oh my gosh, was she okay?"

"Yeah, the prefects comforted her and stuff but she was so scared…that's why I worry about you—"

"You worry about me?" I cocked a brow at her. "Since when?"

Monica rolled her eyes. "Okay, I know we aren't that close or anything but you're still a friend. And Scorpius Malfoy is strange. He's not normal. I mean he frightened the poor little girl to death but then the next week he sent her a box of chocolate frogs. You've heard his quidditch story right? He beat Casey on the pitch with a bat and a couple days later, he got him a short supply of weed. How crazy is that?"

"Very", I agreed.

Just then, her voice got lower. "I mean, I don't approve of smoking pot or anything else for that matter but its common knowledge that he and a bunch of guys do it. I'm sure even the teachers know but they've never caught him so they can't do anything about it".

"Yeah I know that stuff".

"Rose, he's really violent".

I nodded.

"And you're close to him—"

"You want to know if he's ever hurt me, don't you?"

"I think I already do", she whispered looking down.

"H-he hasn't", I insisted through a small, shaky voice. "He c-care's about me".

What the hell am I doing?! I hate myself! Why am I protecting him; I hate him! I'm so embarrassed of myself. How could I have let this happen I mean, what are people going to say when they find out I let Malfoy hit me? They're going to think I'm weak and pathetic!

Monica whispered so no one else could hear, "Rose, I clearly remember you were fine when you came in our common room that day and your back was injured when you came out of his dorm. What happened, did he do something to you?"

"I told you, I fell on your stupid dungeon stairs!"

"Rose, how is it that you fell down those rough, rocky stairs but didn't scrape a single area of your skin?"

"I'm sorry but I don't exactly _exhibit_ that part of my body!" I lied through gritted teeth. "Why can't you just drop it? It's not that big of a deal. Why do you all insist on making a big issue out of this?"

"Because it is a big deal!"

"Why do you even care?!" I yelled. Several people turned and looked at me. "What's it to _you_?!"

"It's no wonder you're losing your friends with that attitude".

"I'M NOT—"

"Let's just go back to our work, Rose. The faster we get it over with, the better".

And for the rest of the class, that's exactly what we did.

…

Monica's words hurt me more than I could have thought. Near the end of class she tried to apologize but I didn't say anything. I just went to my common room without a word and straight to my dorm ignoring my friends' "hi's" and "hello's". I collapsed on my bed and hid under my blanket. And I cried.

Immediately after, the door burst open and in came Bonnie who I was sure had followed me in here. "What's wrong, Rose?" She asked panicking. "Are you alright?"

"No!" I cried.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because I hate myself!"

"But, Rose, what happened?"

"Why can't I be happy?!"

"What…where is this com—"

"It's true! I'm an ugly person. I'm cursed. No one likes me. Everyone thinks I'm an idiot. I'm losing my friends!"

"You're not ugly and you aren't cursed", Bonnie sad sitting next to me. "And you're definitely not losing me but Rose, I know something is wrong and I know you aren't going to share with anyone!"

"Bonnie, I can't!" I cried. "I can't".

"Rose, is it something to do with Scorpius? Rose, he's probably ill. He'll be back I'm—"

"I don't _want_ him to come back!"

"What?"

"I don't want him in my life, Bonnie", I cried.

"Rose, I thought—"

"Nothing's the same anymore. Ben doesn't want to talk to me…"

"This is about Ben?"

"Not just Ben", I sniffled.

"Rose, you're going to have to open yourself up and throw yourself out there if you want to become closer with your friends".

"I know, but I can't open up. I don't know what's wrong with me now. I'm not the same anymore…I feel so alone".

"Is it because Scorpius isn't here?"

"I…" but I was at lost for words.

After that I washed up and Bonnie went back to the common room. I stayed in my dorm till dinner and decided to write to my mum telling her about my spine injury. I also wrote to tell her the truth about how it happened and that I need her help. Once I finished the letter, I read it and reread it.

And I ripped it up.

There was no way I could just send the letter like that. I couldn't I mean…he's not even here. I should probably wait for him to get back and decide then if I want to end our relationship forever. I mean it's not like I want to have anything to do with him but I don't know…I should wait. I'll wait.

Dinner was better than I thought. Ben tried to make conversation with me as well as Amanda and Donny who complimented my hair. It was too good to be true and when I looked at Bonnie, I realized she had talked to them. Gosh it was so embarrassing! I left for the washroom immediately because I really wanted to hurl. I felt so stupid and pathetic. They pitied me!

"Why the long face, Cousin Rose?"

"Dominique?" I looked up. "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you, I presume. Sulking"

I snorted in agreement. "So did you manage to talk to your dad?"

"No", this time, it was her turn to snort.

"The longer you wait, the bigger the lie".

"I can't", she said quietly as her nose turned pink and her eyes became wet.

"Dominique, you can", I insisted. "How about you talk to your mum first? Take a few days off, go home and talk to them. Dominique, don't put your future on the line".

Dominique pursed her lips and nodded. After a moment of just staring at each other, we both sighed. "Hey, Dom?"

"What?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, I'm still a virgin".

"What?!" I said startled.

"It's a joke", she sniffled back her tears and chuckled.

"Oh…Well I wanted to ask you if I could share something with you?"

"Me? Uh, sure".

So I told her the whole story regarding what really happened to my back and when Scorpius came in my dorm last weekend in the middle of the night. I have no idea what made me do it and I was prepared to regret it later on. Despite being my cousin, she still feels so foreign to me. But somehow at the same time, I felt she was the only person who could understand me and relate to me. Dominique didn't freak or start panicking or yelling like Bonnie, my brother or my parents would do.

Dominique looked at me for a moment before speaking. "Rose, have you…have you thought about how he got into your dorm?"

"What?" I look at her confused. After everything I told her, this is what stood out the most?

"Rose, a Slytherin getting into the Gryffindor common room isn't that big of a deal but a boy getting into a girl's dorm is".

"What are you talking about?"

"Haven't you read _Hogwarts: A History_? The magical staircases to the girls' dorms turn into a slide if a boy steps on them. It's for protection".

"I don't know maybe he climbed the railings or something, whatever", I shrugged.

"Rose!" Dominique slapped a hand to her forehead. "Listen to me, Rose, the only way a boy can get in the girls' dorms is if he's accompanied by another girl. Someone—a female—was with him that night when he came to see you".

"What?! No, he was alone…"

"Rose, the person probably waited outside the door or something".

"Dominique maybe it was just one of my roommates…"

"Your friends would never let him in, would they?"

"I don't know…"

"I doubt it. And he doesn't exactly have friends let alone lady friends to help him. It's breaking school rules he could get suspended or even expelled from Hogwarts for that. I mean they could get accused of trying to attack you or the other girls or something, I don't know! But it's a really big safety issue. You know even a teacher could get fired for something like this".

"Dominique, what is wrong with you? Attack me? That's ridiculous!"

"It's what the school would think", she rolled her eyes.

"You're scaring me".

"I'm sorry but, Rose, someone was with Scorpius that night and I'm certain as hell that person does not belong within the walls of Hogwarts".

I shuddered and remained fearful for the rest of the night. No one other than students and faculty can enter Hogwarts like that. Even parents aren't allowed to roam around into common rooms and dorms unless they have special permission. So I stayed close to Bonnie the rest of the night. It was pathetic I know but I couldn't get Dominique's words out of my head. I didn't fall asleep easily either and was up till past midnight imagining Scorpius in my bed and some woman or girl just on the other side of the door. I tried to divert my mind but then Dominique's story was stuck in my head. I wish it could be easier for her to tell her dad. I mean I don't know how much of it's her fault or not but it would sure make it a whole lot easier for her to tell her dad…

_"Rose, remember that night at Eric's party?"_

_"Uh huh…you punched me"._

_"It was an accident", she turned red and looked away._

_"What about that night?"_

_She took a deep breath, "I…I made the biggest mistake of my life that night"._

"_Dominique what did you do?" I whispered._

"_Rose, you have to promise me you can't say a word about this"._

_I nodded and touched her arm. "I promise"._

"_Rose", she took a deep breath. "I committed a crime"._

"_A crime?"_

"_I stole from my father's Gringotts vault"._

"_What?!" I almost choked. "But why? Dominique?!"_

"_Sshh! Rose, I know you're probably so disgusted to be related to me", she burst into tears. "I didn't want to do it! I swear! He made me do it!"_

"_Who made you do it?"_

"_Carbon"._

"_Carbon?"_

"_Yes"._

"_Okay, start from the beginning, how did it happen?"_

"_That night, Josh was going out with his friends and insisted I come and it would be fun but I didn't want to go alone so I invited Ryla as well"._

"_Okay"._

"_So Carbon picked the three of us up from Eric's and he had three other guys with him and we went to this pub and after a drink, Carbon, his boys and Josh wanted to go to the back room"_

"_What's the backroom?"_

"_It was a gambling room. Me and Ryla had to go with them since we couldn't do anything because we didn't wanna be out in the pub alone with these next level creepers!" _

"_Then what happened"_

"_So Carbon started gambling with more than he had and his debt began to increase and at one point one of the men at the table said they'd let Carbon's debt slide if they give me to him for a night"._

"_What?!" I yelled in shock. Dominique burst into tears._

"_They're so disgusting!"_

"_Didn't Josh do anything?!"_

"_He was so mad. He started beating the man! It was awful! I had never been more scared in my whole life. Ryla started crying and she and I ran out and Carbon was right behind us. He said until I arrange for the money, he's going to let them finish Josh and take me for sex!"_

_I gasped. _

"_I told him I didn't have the money but he's like, "you're daddy's a banker, doll, I'm sure you have access to thousands of vaults". I had no idea what else to do. He drove me back to my house and I had to sneak into my dad's office and get the keys to our vault and this other vault next to ours"._

"_Dominique, why didn't you just wake your father?!"_

"_He threatened to hurt Josh! I couldn't let anything happen to him; he tried to protect me!" she started crying again. "I was so stupid!"_

"_Was Josh fine then?"_

"_Yeah. Carbon wouldn't have let anything serious happen to him. He's too valuable"._

"_So then what happened?"_

"_We went to Gringotts"._

"_That's it. You got in just like that? I thought that place was high on security! Isn't it like guarded by dragons or something?"_

"_I'm Bill Weasley's daughter, Rose. Every single wizard or goblin knows who I am. Besides, I had the keys and I had identity. They didn't suspect anything"._

"_That's ridiculous! They couldn't have thought Bill Weasley would send his daughter and a pimp to his vault to get him some gold in the middle of the night!"_

"_It isn't as ridiculous as you think. The thing is, at night, Gringotts is guarded by Goblins. All wizards and witches are off duty and Goblins only know banking and not letting anyone unauthorized or without key enter. As long as you show them what they understand. They don't ask questions. Besides, I've come to the family vault before"._

"_Goblins are so stupid!"_

_Dominique nodded. "I wish I had known then that he wouldn't actually let those guys hurt Josh", she sighed. "I don't care if he stunned me or killed me right then, I would rather die than steal from my own daddy", she said as more tears stained her face."We went into the long term vaults and Carbon made me take bags of galleons from our vault and the one next to ours"._

"_He didn't do it himself?"_

"_No!" She snorted, "He's cunning like that. He didn't touch the money until I physically gave it to him"._

_I shook my head in disbelief still unsure whether her story is real. I mean it all just sounded like an overly dramatic movie scene. "Dominique…"_

"_What"._

"_I don't know…it all just seem so…unreal"._

_Dominique looked at me for a moment trying to understand what I'm saying."Are you…are you saying that I'm lying?"_

"_No…but I mean it seems unreal. How could you just be in your own home and, I mean, didn't anyone hear any noise or didn't anyone wake up. Didn't Uncle Bill or Aunt Fleur call to check up on you or when you're coming home? How could you just have been so helpless? And I mean, no one suspected a thing. How's that possible? Gringotts is a wizard bank. Safest in the word and you just easily broke into it like that?"_

"_Rose, you have to believe me! I'm not lying. This is why I can't tell anyone!" She cried. "I knew you'd say that but please, believe me, I'm not lying. I was so scared I thought with two words and the flick of a wand, he'd kill me!"_

"_What about Ryla?! It was two against one, Dom, didn't she do anything to help you?" _

"_Ryla wasn't there. He left her with his two other cronies. And he said if she tried to act smart, he'd tell them to rape her or something?"_

"_You're serious?"I cocked a brow at her._

"_Yes, Rose, I swear on my mother's life, I'm serious! Rose I need your help!" she cried. "Please, help me! What do I do? I don't want to go to jail!"_

"_I think you should tell your dad. I mean if what you say is true, then he'll help you"._

"_I can't!"_

"_Well…why not?"_

"_Because no one's going to believe me!" _

…

**A/N: See, I told you! Eric is important. Haha. I hope this chapter is worth the wait. I'm so grateful you took the time out to read it! The chapters are going to get better and better as we start uncovering more and more secrets. We've got Eric back in the game, this new friendship with Dominique gives us an insight to Scorpius's old life (or so he says). And I know there are still more mysteries so keep your seatbelts on 'cause this ride ain't over! Please review guys. It's so motivating. I feel like everytime I get a review, it let's me know that someone care's about this story and someone is waiting eagerly for another chapter. Also I want to ask you guys something. What is your biggest question about this story because I know it has a lot of mysteries? So let me give you an example:**

"_**I want to know who's Scorpius's mom and what happened to her"**_

**I'm just asking because it really helps me when I know what my readers are looking for and what they want to see happen next. So other than that, thanks again for reading and thank you to all the reviewers who leave me their thoughts. You may not know this but you're a big help!**


	33. That's My Good Friend

**A/N: Hey Guys! I'm so sorry it took this long to update! I've been so busy with school, exams, a friend's wedding, and all that stuff that I just didn't have the time to sit down and write. Before writing this, I wrote down some key points about some of the mysteries going on and you'll find out soon! Although I don't plan to end this story anytime soon, I think a good place to end would be the end of their school year like Jo Rowling used to do. This chapter isn't much but the next chapter is going to be very exciting I can promise you that. It's going to be something you've all been waiting for for quite some time! I can't wait for you to read it!**

"So, Rose", Ben asked me one day while walking me to class. "Eric says you've changed all of a sudden".

"Did he now?"

"Yeah. He says you've become nicer to him all of a sudden".

"Have I?"

"I don't know. I always thought your hormone system's off its rocker".

"aha…you're not funny, Ben?"

"See! You snapped at me…you really are crazy!"

I punched him playfully.

"Rose!" He laughed.

"Your presence is extremely unnecessary and your jokes are unwanted, Benjamin", I said.

"That's not what I heard…"

"What did you hear?" I looked at him.

"This is what I heard; 'Ben, ben! You have to talk to Rose. She's bawling her eyes 'cause you ignored her. Her life is miserable without you'", he mimicked.

"She did not tell you that!" I insisted as my cheeks flushed a bright pink.

"Yes she did! Except for the miserable part—I assumed that much".

"I wasn't talking about just you", I mumbled.

"Whatever you say, Rose", he chuckled.

"You don't believe me?"

"I never said that", he shrugged casually.

"Ugh..Whatever, Ben", I chuckled.

"You know, you should smile more often", Ben said as we reached my classroom.

"What?"

"It's a better look for you". And with that he took off as the bell signaling the beginning of class rang.

…

Almost three weeks into the new school year and Scorpius was nowhere to be found. On the plus side, my life really seemed to be looking up. There was hope for me after all! I wasn't as miserable anymore. I was doing really well academically and picked up on the material really quickly. Plus I had loads of free time to study and less distractions. I hung out with Bonnie and Amanda on the weekends. We went to Hogsmeade Village which opened a bunch of new stores this summer. We usually spent our time shopping or eating which is fine by me! My back was getting better and Madame Cornfoot said I was recovering much faster than she expected. She said high morale has a lot to do with it and my pain was probably heightened because of stress. She gave me a bunch of potions to take every night before bed and said I should be back to normal by Halloween! I left her office giddily and to make things better, I ran into Emma in the third floor corridor. She stopped to say hi to me which was a first since our fallout. She asked me how my back is and wished me well recovery. I guess that's a start. During lunch and dinners, I sat with Ben and the two of us went on with our talks and jokes again like we used to. Eric and I had a very minimal exchange of words now but I was polite nonetheless. He found out why I was mad at him. He said he was sorry that I found out but not sorry that he said those things about me. According to him, I'm a hypocrite because I vent to my friends about him so he's allowed to talk to his friends about me too. Technically he's right but I don't seem to feel the same way about him as I used to so it didn't upset me. We put the argument behind us eventually and decided to move on as friends. I was more than happy to comply. To be honest, boys are distracting and I think it's better if I just focus on school for now. I was really glad that everything was going smoothly. Actually, there was one wrong thing. The only annoying thing about my life right now is I was constantly being distracted by thoughts of my friend Ben. It only started recently though…

"Guys, guess what?!" I prance in the Gryffindor common room where Louis, Donny and Bonnie were one evening after dinner.

"what?" Bonnie said as she marked her page in her book before closing it.

"Madame Cornfoot said I'll get to play the first Slytherin vs. Gryffindor Match in November if my progress continues like this!"

"Babe, that's wonderful news!" Bonnie leapt up to hug me. The other two beamed at me too.

"Now we'll actually stand a chance against those rascals!" Louis exclaimed.

"I'm going to go down to the pitch and tell everyone else the good news!" I said excitedly before rushing away.

James was holding the last round of tryouts today and the decision was to happen by tomorrow morning and the list of the new players to be posted on the bulletin in the common room. Obviously I wasn't trying out due to my injuries but I had been there standing at the pitch for the first two rounds helping James manage the students trying out as well as making decisions regarding who to keep for the next round and who to send back. I had been particularly surprised that Hugo was playing incredibly and made it to the third round for the position of Keeper; my position.

"He's really good!" James said to me last week when we were alone in the locker room after the second round. "Not as good as you of course. His turns could be a bit more smoother, and perhaps we can work on his reflex…he tends to catch the quaffle with his finger tips".

"Yeah, dad was working on that with him over the summer".

"Yeah, it's dangerous, he could break a finger or two in the air", James said thoughtfully with his eyes on his list and a pen in his hands. "I want him to pick up his speed a little but I'm not sure he'll be able to stop smoothly…"

"So is it a no or a yes for him?"

"It's a yes, of course! He's the best we've got in the batch"

"He'll be thrilled!"

"Yes but he needs tons of practice…I'll have Amanda or Roxie work with him if I don't get the time to".

"Fine by me as long as it doesn't interfere with his schoolwork", I said sternly.

James rolled his eyes at me, "stop being his mother, he hates that!"

"Did he say something to you?" I asked insecurely.

James eyed me for a moment, "no but I have a younger sibling too you know, two in fact, I can tell…"

I made my way to the locker room as I knew tryouts were almost over and most of them would be back here.

"Hello!" I said when I walked in.

"Oh hey, Rose!" my cousin Roxanne greeted me as she came out of the change room in her jeans and sweater.

"Tryouts done yet?" I asked her.

"Almost. Finished with us chasers and keepers a while ago. Just finished with the beaters and James and Eric are still out there for seeker positions".

I nodded politely and then told her my good news.

"Oh thank Merlin! We really need you to be our keeper! By the way, did you happen to see Hugo play today? He was incredible!"

"No I had an appointment with Madame Cornfoot", I shook my head sadly.

"I'm really proud of him. He's really showing his Weasley side!" Roxie joked.

"I'm just glad we found someone!"

"Yeah, me too! Well, I'm gonna head out now. I have to meet Arielle and Sofia for a study date".

I bid her goodbye and walk out to the pitch. James and Eric are still in the air with two other boys. I know James is going to pick Eric again but the boys are most probably just going to serve as understudies that we probably won't even need. So I go back to the locker room since I'm wearing only a t-shirt and there is a light September breeze in the air this evening. Although I wasn't particularly ogling at Eric, I have to admit he did look mighty yummy in his form-fitting quidditch attire with his hair messy from the wind. I couldn't help but sigh as I walked into the locker room. All of a sudden, I let out a small yelp when I see none other than my friend Ben in nothing but his boxers!

"Benjamin!"

"Why are you here?!" He quickly grabs his towel and wraps it around his waist.

"You're not supposed to come out of the change rooms like this!"

"I thought after Roxanne left, I was the only one here!" He muttered and went to his locker to pull out his clothes.

The damage had been done though…I had a clear image in my mind of him in nothing but underwear and because he looked rather handsome, it was not an image I could push away. I had never seen Ben completely shirtless so I couldn't help but find myself gazing while he talked to me.

"What are you doing here anyway?" He asked while pulling out his clothes from his bag.

"I c-came to see…uh James", I stuttered. I had always believed he was the last person I'd stutter in front of…

"Are you alright?" Ben raised a brow at me.

"Yeah…" I blushed and looked away.

Ben nodded. "Well, tryouts were tiring but I'm so glad they're over!" He said cheerily. "Personally I hate this whole thing with rounds I mean it must have been so much easier back in our parents days. Just one day of tryouts and you're done. I mean I know James is going to pick me but it wastes my time so much".

I nodded quietly while still gazing at his upper half. He was so well-defined…and his legs…before he covered them up…

"Rose?"

"Y-yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…why?"

"Because you seem spaced out…are you checking me out or something?", He smirked

What?!" My eyes widened.

"I'm joking, kiddo! Relax…" He laughed before heading back to the change room.

I sighed and realized he was only teasing like he usually does.

"So what did Madame Cornfoot say? Your appointment was today right?" He said from behind the door.

"Yeah…she said I'm doing extremely well and recovering fast. I think it's because I'm more cheerful…"

"Did you tell her you owe it all to your good friend Benjamin who just lights your world up?"

"Ha ha…very funny Ben!" I rolled my eyes.

"I try".

The awkwardness had ended there but the image had remained in my mind. I have to admit, my good friend Benjamin is rather handsome and attractive.

…

"Guys, what are we doing about Ben and Louis's birthday?" Donny asked one Wednesday morning in Defense class.

"Wait…their birthday is coming up? What day is it today anyway?" I said scratching my head.

Amanda and Donny, who had turned around in their seats to talk to Damien and I, rolled their eyes at me. After a few days of class, people began sitting at a seat of their choice again and the professor didn't really care unless socialization got out of hand. So Donny and Amanda were once again in front of Damien and me.

"It's the twentieth", Damien said. "When is Ben's birthday…I remember Louis is on the fourth of October…"

The four of us turn our heads to look at Louis who's sitting in his own seat with Bonnie who had pulled up a chair next to him.

"Ben's turning eighteen on the 28th of September…so next Thursday!" Donny said to us.

"We have to plan something extra special!" I said. It is, afterall, Ben; He's the nicest person ever and has love for everyone.

"We'll meet up in an empty classroom or the astronomy tower or something and discuss it with everyone else tonight", I suggested. The rest nodded and we went back to our work.

…

During the day, Donny, Amanda, Damien and I took the responsibility of letting our friends know discretely about our plan to meet up to discuss birthday plans and by dinner, everyone knew we had to meet in the astronomy tower at nine o'clock tonight sharp because Louis had detention with Madame Pince for making out with Bonnie in the restricted section. Bonnie's detention was to happen at eight. Ben on the other hand had a career advising appointment with Uncle Neville, our head of house. I had been brainstorming all day as to what to get him. I have to get presents! Louis is my closest cousin next to Al and Ben is one of my closest friends; the presents have to be extra special.

"Why don't the three of us get them a joint present?" Amanda suggested while we were in our dorm after dinner.

"I have to get Louis a 'boyfriend gift'", Bonnie said. "But I'm willing to do a joint present for Ben".

"Rose?" Amanda looked to me.

"I guess we can team up for Louis…" I said thoughtfully. "I have to do something extra special for Ben though. He's been there for me a lot this summer and since my whole injury situation".

"That's fine", Amanda said. "So I'm teaming up with Bonnie for Ben, and with you for Louis?"

"I actually would much rather do joint presents", Bonnie sighed. "But it's my boyfriend so I can't. So many birthdays are coming up and I'll run out of money really quickly".

Amanda and I didn't say anything since we knew Bonnie was raised by a single mother who didn't exactly have a stable career, she went back to school since modeling wouldn't last forever so they were even more tight on the budget. Bonnie, thankfully got loads of presents and money from her grandparents in San Diego so she was okay.

"I can't wait until the Holidays though! I'm going to California and I know they'll give me loads of stuff for Christmas!"

"That's wonderful!" Amanda exclaimed.

"I don't know what to get Louis though. We've only been seeing each other since the school year started and he's mad about me", she blushed. "It's the most amazing feeling ever!"

"I know right!" Amanda squealed. "That's how it was with Donny and me when we first started getting serious".

"I don't have a boyfriend so I can't really relate…" I said awkwardly.

"Trust me, Rose", Amanda began. "It all happens on its own. Don't go chasing for love. Let it find you".

"I completely agree", Bonnie said. "I'm still a little unsure though…He's really perfect and all but…"

"What?" I asked.

"He's a bit aggressive at times…"

Amanda and I exchanged confused looks

Bonnie sighed, "He's really protective which is kind of sweet when you think about it but he can get a little jealous when I talk to other guys…"

"Yeah that sounds like him. He has strong emotions", I chuckle.

"It runs in your family", Amanda rolled her eyes at me and I turned pink.

"Like some days, he's relaxed and cool and other days, he's uptight like yesterday, in class Mark was flirting with me and Louis got really defensive. I mean everyone knows Mark likes to tease. He's not out to steal another guy's girlfriend. He just has a really flirty personality. And Louis never minded before".

"He sounds a lot like Scorpius", I said. I wasn't thinking about Scorpius but what Bonnie described sounded a lot like him.

"On top of that, he's really turned on sometimes and not really…horny other times. Well, I mean, he's always a little horny but lately he's been really touchy-feely…"

"Did you tell him you're not ready?" Amanda said in a serious tone all of a sudden. "Babe, you have to be firm about your limits and he needs to respect that".

"Oh no! Don't get me wrong, he's respectful about it. He even apologized yesterday. like around two weeks ago, I was on my period so he said that was okay and we just snuggled in his dorm but now I don't have an excuse".

"Just tell him the truth", I insisted. "It's not abnormal to feel nervous and not ready or something. Just tell him it's too early for you".

"Yeah but even if we're still together around this time _next year_, my answer would still be no if he asks to have sex", Bonnie sighed.

"And there's nothing wrong with that", Amanda said. "I've been dating Donny for almost two years and we still haven't done it".

"Have you done…other stuff?" Bonnie asked. I blushed crimson.

"Bonnie that's personal", I said.

"It's fine", Amanda chuckled. "but…um…we both agreed we're not very into oral. So the farthest we've gone is making out with no shirts. I kept my bra on of course!"

"You guys are little angels!"

"No!" She laughed. "We've talked about it. We want to save ourselves for marriage. We really want to get married like he's the only person I see myself with".

"Aww", I sighed.

Amanda chuckled again, "He's really serious too. Plus my parents love him and I get on well with his dad and his stepmum and their kids. I haven't really been around his mum's family much since she lives in Austria but his Dad's family is very nice".

"You're so lucky…" I sighed.

Amanda blushed. "He says he wants a strong marriage because his parents divorced when he was six and it was hard for the first couple of years. He doesn't want that for us".

"Oh wow, he's _really_ serious!" Bonnie exclaimed.

Amanda nodded. "He wants to be a healer like his dad. He said he'd be perfectly happy if I just stay home and look pretty for him", she laughed.

I felt envious of Amanda because she had love and she had security and everything but I couldn't help but want to burst her bubble. Not because I was jealous but because I want her to be realistic. We're only sixteen…young relationships hardly ever last. I didn't say anything though because she's my friend and I didn't want to upset her but I really feel like she might be living in a bit of a fantasy. Then again, it's Amanda…she's the most realistic person I ever met. She's very smart and level-headed; I'm sure she knows what's best for her.

"I want to save myself for marriage too…" Bonnie said. "I mean I don't want to live like my mother did".

Amanda and I became quiet.

"My mum was a teenage mother and I'm so scared that'll happen to me too. Just…getting pregnant scares me. I mean she said she used contraceptives but it still happened…" Bonnie said quietly. "But she said she's glad because I was a blessing for her. My mum compromised a lot in her life but I don't think I'd be able to if I ever became pregnant at sixteen. I want to get married. To a rich guy preferably. And I want to live in a house. I never lived anywhere other than our apartment above the video store".

Amanda and I were quiet the whole time because we really don't know what to say to that. But I think she doesn't expect us to say anything. She just wants us to listen. It was clear that she has this opinion in her mind that teenage mothers are "doomed" for life but I don't think it's entirely true.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Bonnie got up to open the door and it was Dominique.

"Dom! What's up?"

"Rose, can I talk to you for a second please?"

"Sure", I said and followed her out. I closed the door behind me, "What's the matter?"

"I need your help. I'm going to see Josh tonight", she said.

"What? Where? Why?"

"I have to talk to him. About the whole thing. I need to convince him to testify against Carbon. I don't think he'll come around easy so I need you to help me. We can corner him, we'll threaten him, we'll do something but he has to do it!"

"I don't know Dominique I think you should talk to your parents first…"

"Rose, you don't get it! My parents won't believe me. I've never been the good child. They'll assume it's my fault…they think I turned out horrible anyway", she said sadly.

"And you think they'll believe Josh?"

"And Ryla".

"This is bizarre…"

"I know".

"Where are you going to meet him?"

"Above the Hogshead Pub. There's a secret place. I know they gamble there…I'm sure that's where he is tonight".

"Are you crazy? I'm not going anywhere near his friends!"

"Please, Rose! I need your help…There's no one in this school I can trust except for you".

"What about your own brother?"

"No! Not with this…please! You might even find Malfoy there…"

"Okay first, Scorpius doesn't gamble anymore and second, I don't care about him anymore".

"Sure you do! It's in your nature to care. I was a bitch to you and here you are…as my friend".

"Ugh! I'll hate myself for this but fine, I'll come with you!"

"Awesome! Now I need you to steal Albus's invisibility cloak!"

"Hell no!"

"What if we get caught?"

"That's why we shouldn't go".

"What if you request to borrow it?"

"He'll become suspicious…"

"True. Okay fine we'll go around three tonight. This place operates in the dead of night. Hogsmeade Village closes at ten, This place opens at midnight".

"It sounds really sketchy…".

"It is".

"Then why are you taking me there".

"You need to get out more".

**A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter. I know it wasn't much but I'm saving all the action for the next chappie! This chapter's just so we can catch up with Rose and see where she is now. Basically it's just plot development. With Eric and Scorpius out of the way, did you notice Rose has discovered a new found attraction for Ben…come on, it had to happen! What's your opinion about Louis and Bonnie? What are you looking forward for in regards to those two? And Dominique and Rose's midnight journey to this "sketchy" place. Sounds like trouble to me…**

**Thanks for reading guys and please leave a review. Really motivates and helps me! **


	34. In Your World, By Your Side Always

There were only ten minutes until nine and Donny, Amanda, Bonnie and I were waiting for James, Fred and Eric outside the Gryffindor common room. We were going to walk to the Astronomy Tower together to plan for Ben and Louis's birthday tonight.

"Helloooo, ladies...and boy", James greeted us.

"Finally! What took so long?"

"Professor Longbottom kept giving us pamphlets and kept going on and on..." Fred joked.

"Hey, Eric", I said politely.

"How's it going?" he said putting his hands in his pockets. The three of them went in the common room to quickly change out of their robes and into regular clothes that were warmer. We were going to be in the awfully cold Astronomy tower and for some reason, it was chillier than usual this evening. I myself was dressed in a pair of old jeans, my sneakers, and I had remembered to put on a sweater this time. I noticed these same jeans had been kind of loose a few weeks ago but they were pretty snug and fitting today. I don't know if it happened in the wash or not but I think my weight was back to normal since I did become a bit too thin a while back.

"So I have some really cool ideas!" Fred said excitedly. "I was thinking we could set up the Room of Requirement to look like a beach!"

We all just exchanged awkward looks. Really? A beach? Indoors...

"Fred..." Amanda began. "How about you save your ideas for when we get there".

"Okay..." He muttered.

"By the way guys, can we stop by the library really quickly?" I asked them.

"Need to get a book?" James asked.

"No...I need to meet Dominique there?"

"Dominique?" They all looked at me.

"Yeah, she doesn't have any plans tonight so I asked her if she wanted to come with us...I hope that's okay. She said she wants to be part of her brother and Ben's birthday too".

"Rose, why did you have to invite her?" James asked annoyed. "I can't stand her!"

"She's really nice now, I promise", I insisted.

"Whatever, it's not that big of a deal", Eric said.

So we stopped by the library first, and got Dom. She said hi to everyone and everyone said hi but the walk to the Astronomy Tower was really quiet and slow. Once we got there, we noticed everyone was already there. There was Al and his three friends, Casey and Tyler, and surprisingly Kylie and Monica too. Lance and Kylie were sitting in a corner together and whispering things in each other's ears. Sort of reminded me of Louis and Bonnie. Monica on the other hand was chatting away with Tyler and Casey. I've been in Arithmancy with Monica for the past few weeks and I've decided she's not so bad. I guess I can stand her. I mean after she stuck her nose in my business, I was pretty mad but then she dropped the topic altogether the following day. I wonder if she told her friends about her theory. I doubt it...which is nice of her I guess; to not go gossiping about me. She's very studious which I just found out this year. She also helps me with my homework occasionally so I guess I can learn to like her.

"Okay guys did anyone brainstorm any ideas?" Fred asked once we all took a seat. "How about turning the room of requirement into a beach?"

"That's stupid!" James said.

"It's fun!" Fred insisted.

"No! We're not doing that", James said.

"When should the party be? Saturday or Sunday night of next week?" I asked.

"It can't be Sunday night, stupid", James said giving me a look. "What? We're all going to show up to Monday morning's lecture with a hangover?"

There were some nods and 'mhms' in the crowd. I turned pink for not remembering such a silly detail.

"It's gotta be Friday night or Saturday night", Fred said.

Eric spoke up, "I was thinking Friday so we can relax the next day and still have Sunday to do our homework and get our shit together".

"Hold it!" Al called out, "Slytherin's got quidditch practice Friday night?"

"So?" James said.

"_So_? Well how's Tyler, Lance, Kylie and myself supposed to be there?" Al said to his brother annoyed.

"The party's not going to be after dinner dumbass! We're going to start around midnight!"

"Yeah but we're going to be on the pitch till really late", Al argued.

"You can't practice quidditch after curfew, you moron!"

"No you dumb fucker! How are we supposed to help set up?!"

Oh my gosh! They were really arguing over this pointless crap! "Guys..." I cut in.

"There's nothing to set up! We're not hanging balloons and streamers and calling in a clown to entertain us!"

"I know that!" Al snapped.

"Once everyone's in bed, we'll place muffliatos around the Gryffindor Tower and have the sixth and seventh years from Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw come in. All we need is good music and good booze", James said looking around at everyone.

"That's the _stupidest_ thing I've ever heard!" Amanda spoke up. "We're not having one of _those_ parties for them".

"Why? What's wrong with his idea, Jordan?" Casey asked her.

"This party should be more meaningful and intimate. I think Louis and Ben would actually want to _remember_ their birthdays".

"I agree with Amanda", I spoke up. Mainly because I'm not a big fan of alcohol.

"They'll remember this", Tyler insisted.

"I kind of agree with Amanda too", Bonnie spoke up. "It should be sweet and intimate. Maybe just us and them do something special. Like a big dinner! I know both of them would love that".

"Trust me, doll", Warrington said, "They'll love a party! You know your boyfriend well; he loves his big ass bottle of Vodka. That's all he needs for the night! And Ben too-"

Bonnie didn't look too pleased. Neither was I. "Ben isn't crazy about drinking", I said.

"I think James's idea is just dumb!" Monica said. "Why do you want all of Hogwarts seniors there? Are Ben and Louis even friends with people from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. They should be with close friends".

"Which you are not, Bletchly. Who invited you anyway?" James said rudely.

"Excuse me?" She said.

"James!" I yelled. Bonnie wacked him on the arm for being rude.

"I invited her. What are you gonna do about it?" Al said clearly challenging his brother to pick a fight.

"Get the fuck-"

"GUYS STOP IT!" We all turned to look at Dominique who had spoken for the first time tonight. "None of you know bull about planning a party! James why are you being a dick about it? Ben's one of your best friends and Louis too but dammit; you're thick! You have to think of what they want, not what you want! You wanna have a good time? Go ahead, no one's gonna stop you! Get your booze and get your dope and go get fucked in your dorm but at this party, we're doing what they want so shut your crap and let's listen to what everyone else has to say. Thank you!"

We all silently looked at each other wide eyed. James looked defeated and was a bit quieter now so everyone who had felt insecure about presenting their ideas before spoke up. Fred reminded us of his beach idea for the third time and we put some thought into it this time. Lance said something about a Weird Sisters concert happening next Friday night. Damien liked Bonnie's idea about a big dinner with close friends. Someone, I can't remember who also shot an idea about going to a muggle night club but that's just stupid because we're all underage anyway. In the end, we were all undecided as ever and agreed to meet up again soon and few by few (so it doesn't look suspicious) we all headed back to our common rooms. James had realized he had been too rude to Monica so he pulled her aside and apologized while everyone was leaving. I was glad he took the initiative rather than someone having tell him.

We were heading back to our common room and Eric and Dominique were walking in front of Amanda, Bonnie and me. He jokingly complimented her for shutting James up. It was obvious he's talking to her because she's pretty...she's lucky. Once we're back in our common rooms we all take a seat by the fire as both Louis and Ben are about to come in and Dominique headed back to her dorm. And just as I thought, Ben came in through the portrait hole not long after.

"Where were you guys?" He asked. "I've been looking all over for you".

"What are you talking about? We were here the whole time", Donny says.

"No I came here like fifteen minutes ago and none of you were here", he insisted.

"We were all probably in our dorms or something, Ben, it's not a big deal", I shrug.

Ben plops down on the couch next to me. He groaned, "I have no idea what I want to do with my life! Professor Longbottom keeps giving me pamphlets but I'm not interested in any of the careers!"

"You'll figure it out, I'm sure", I said patting him on the back.

"Why are you stressing?" Bonnie asked. "Your dad's rich! You drive a Lexus for Merlin's sake!"

"That doesn't mean anything, silly. I'm not going to live off him for the rest of my life", he laughed.

Louis soon walked in after as well and squished himself into the large armchair Bonnie was sitting on.

"What are we talking about?" Louis asked.

"Hi, sweetie", Bonnie said to him. "I wanted to tell you that I'm considering marrying Ben because he's rich".

I looked around at my friends, slightly appalled but they were laughing and snorting and only then did I realize she was joking. Louis however had an odd reaction.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He stood up. We all looked at him.

"Baby, I was joking", she chuckled and pulled at his hand to get him to sit down again.

"Why am I not laughing then?!"

Bonnie sighed, "Louis..."

"I'll be in my dorm", he said before storming off.

"What gotten into him?" James asked.

"He's probably just tired or in a bad mood. He just came back from detention", Bonnie shrugged.

"Are you going to go after him?" Amanda asked.

Bonnie thought for a moment. "No", she said. "He needs alone-time to reflect. He has to learn to take a joke".

"I think I'm going to head up to bed now", I said yawning.

"Yeah me too..." Ben said.

The rest of them bid us all goodnight and we headed up the spiral staircase.

"I hope Louis isn't mad at me..." Ben said.

"Why would he be? You didn't do anything", I said.

"I dunno", he shrugged. "He's been on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for a couple days".

"I know", I sighed. "I wonder what's going on with him".

"He gets mad over the silliest things. Like the other day; he got mad because there was soup for dinner and he wanted steak", Ben shook his head. "And he got so angry he went to bed early without dinner".

"He's acting up like a child", I said.

"Yeah..."

Just then, we saw Dominique coming down the stairs.

"Hi, Dom", I said.

"What's up?"

"Going to bed", I said. We exchanged a look in which she reminded me about tonight's plan.

"Hello, Benjamin", she said to him.

"H-hi, D-Dominique".

I looked at Ben. Where was his confidence that I admired? Was Ben stuttering in front of her? Could he possibly still have feelings for her...oh boy.

On my way up to my dorm, I couldn't help but wonder; Dominique seems to have changed now that she's not friends with Josh's crew. What if she becomes really nice and Ben falls for her again? Has Ben forgiven her for taking advantage of him for so long and leading him on so he'd do as she says? It's just that Ben is my friend and I don't want him to get hurt. I shrugged the thought away. I really don't want to think about this right now. I just want to get some sleep for a bit until I have to wake up again and sneak out with Dominique. I had to remind myself why I'm doing this anyway.

"Here's my dorm. Night, Benny!"

"Goodnight, Rose", He said. I went into my dorm and Ben continued up the stairs with his hands in his pocket humming a lovely tune.

...

"Rose, wake up! Rose! Rose, get up!"

"Huh?" I said groggily.

"Come on, get up, we have to go". It was Dominique hovering above my bed.

I looked at my clock and it was around two in the morning. "But I'm so sleepy..." I groaned.

"Please, Rose, I'll make it up to you!" She whispered.

"Ugh", I grunted and got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. Once I came out, I went to my drawers to get something to wear.

"Dress as ugly as you can", Dominique said from my bed where she was sitting. "Trust me, there's creeps there".

"Okay", I said. I looked at what she was wearing and she was in an oversized black hoodie, black jeans and black sneakers. "Why are you dressed in all black?"

"So we can camouflage, dumbass", she said annoying. "Now hurry up and wear anything black".

"I don't really have anything black...except for leggings and mary-janes", I shrugged.

"Are the leggings opaque?"

"Yeah", I said.

"Wear them".

I pulled my leggings out of the drawer.

"Wear your mary-janes. We can't risk getting caught!" She urged me.

"Are you crazy?! It's freezing outside! I'm wearing my sheepskin boots or I'll freeze to death!" I scolded her.

"Fine", she rolled her eyes.

"I don't have a black top", I said annoyed.

"Sweater, coat, anything?"

"Why do we have to dress like _ninjas_?!" I complained whisperingly. "The rest of the school is asleep!"

"Because I'm older and you have to listen to me", she said.

"Ugh! And yeah the only thing black I have is a fall coat", I said.

Once we were dressed, I grabbed my wand and Dominique led me down the spiral staircase to the common room and out the portrait hole.

"I suppose we're just going to walk out the main doors?" I said sarcastically since I was still cranky from being forced to wake up.

"No. There's a secret passageway", she said sarcastically.

"Haha, very funny..." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not being sarcastic. There is! You know the statue in the third floor corridor? The one you pass by on the way to the Gryffindor Tower? Well that's actually where the secret passage way is. It leads right into Honeydukes", she told me.

Once we arrived at the third floor corridor we came to a stop in front of the statue of the one-eyed witch. I watched Dominique tap the statue and say "_dissendium_". We watched the statue, which was against the wall, move aside to reveal and trapdoor.

"Come on", Dom said.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked nervously.

"Yes! Now come on!"

So we walked in a narrow tunnel and about ten minutes later. We came to a halt; it was the door to the Honeydukes cellar.

"We're already here?" I asked her. It's usually a good twenty-five minute walk to the village!

"This is a short cut", she muttered as she tried to open the door. "It's stuck!"

"Let me help", I said and she moved aside. It was indeed stuck. This tunnel was like a cave, there was dew in here; it must have stuck the door like glue. I took a closer look. Indeed the lock was stuck.

"Try _alohomora_", I suggested.

"What if it breaks the door?"

"Just try it", I insisted. "It's our only option".

Just like I had predicted, the lock of the door broke off, making it easier to simply push it open and that's what we did. So we entered the cellar of the best sweetshop in all of Britain. There were stacks and boxes full of treats and machines as well for making some of the candy.

"Oh let's take something", I said as my mouth watered. Even though I knew I would never take anything.

"Rose, that's stealing", Dom said. She's one to talk. I gave her a judging look an she just smirked. We slowly crept up the stairs into the shop and I hoped no one was there. I mean who knows, Mr. Flume the elderly owner, might have wanted to have a three am check up on his store...

Soon enough, we were out of the shop and walking the dark streets of Hogsmeade. The only sound could be heard was owls and crickets in the night. We walked down the little street, passing by shops such as Zonkos and Galdrags.

"We have to turn right here", Dominique said when we reached a little intersection. I followed her. This little street was much narrower and darker. I shuddered. Suddenly, we saw a light coming from the upstairs windows of a shop at the end of the street. "That's the Hogs Head".

"I assumed", I said. When we got closer, I noticed there were loud noises coming from the Hogs Head. Like deep, male voices laughing. And there was music as well. "Dominique what is this place?" I asked again, my suspicion growing.

"It's a place where your coming for your first and _last_ time", she sighed. "I'm sorry you'll have to see this".

When we got in, it was dark and the bar and booths were closed. And just then I heard groaning noises.

"Go faster", I heard a man's voice talking to someone. It was coming from a booth in the corner but I couldn't really see in the dark. "Tha's righ', girl, do it...jus' like tha'. Ugh...makin' me feel so good".

My eyes widened in the dark. "Dominique!" I whispered harshly. "What is this? Why have you brought me here?"

"Let's go", she said taking hold of my hand. I think this is the first time Dominique's ever even held my hand...

We walked up the stairs and there was light on the second floor. It was much brighter. I looked around. We were in a large lounge with couches and armchairs and tables. The lounge also led into a hallway with a bunch of doors. The place itself was not as shabby as I thought. It seemed like someone tried to maintain it well but there were yellow stains on the wall and the beige carpet looked more brown and yellow in certain areas. Yuck! The furniture was alright. Definitely old and abused since there were rips on the musturd and olive green coloured couches as well as crusty white stains. The first thing I noticed was two middle-aged men with greasy hair sitting on a couch with two young women. The young women were sitting in their laps and were dressed in short, revealing dresses. Both the men had bottles of alcohol and cigarettes in their hands and the four of them were chatting away. It smelled awful in here. We passed by them and their gazes followed us which made me uncomfortable to be honest. There were people playing cards on tables with packages and sachets of green stuff and white powdery stuff in the middle of the table.

"You owe me ten galleons you bastard!" I suddenly heard a woman yell. I turned to see her coming out of a room in the corner.

"Fuck! I'll pay you I told you!" The man said.

"No! Fuck No! What do I look like to you? Your wife?"

"I have your goods though! I have a bag full!" He insisted.

"No! I want the cash or go find someone else".

The man glared at everyone who dared look at him and stormed down the stairs. The woman followed him out in a robe but since it wasn't tied, I could see she was wearing only lingerie underneath. Her gaze lingered and then stopped at us.

"You new? Word of advice girls, never let him take off your pants without half the cash in your bra first".

Dominique and I exchanged wide eyed looks. We just ignored her and hurried along across the lounge. I didn't think I'd see women here but there were many and they were also going at it against the men at the tables gambling. Not many people really took notice of us. A few just asked "Who're they?" or "They new?" and just turned their heads to look but then went back to their own activities.

"Josh is probably in one of the back rooms. It's where the high stakes games are", Dominique whispered. She squeezed my hand tighter and pulled me along.

On our way to the back room, we passed by a rough-looking, fat man sleeping on one of the couches with an empty bottle in his hand while his buddies tried to shake him awake.

We finally made it to the hall and saw the numerous doors. "Which room is he in?" I asked.

"I think the last one down the hall".

"How do you know that?"

Dom sighed, "I came here once before".

So we quietly walked down the hall and came to a stop in front of the door.

"This is it", I took a deep breath.

"Yeah..." Dominique whispered. I noticed she was shaking slightly.

"Dom, you'll be fine", I soothed her. "Just be confident. Don't let Carbon or Josh intimidate you".

"Yeah", she sighed.

"Make sure he knows that the truth will come out and the consequences of their actions will be severe. Tell him if he helps you, he'll be let off easier".

Dominique nodded. "Thanks for everything, Rose. You've truly been like a little sister to me", she gave me a short quick hug.

"Do you want me to come in with you?"

"No... You stay out here. There's no one here but just in case, don't talk to anyone. If someone talks to you, just don't respond, okay?"

I nodded.

"And in case of an emergency, you have your wand right?"

I nodded again.

"Just scream as loud as you can".

"O-okay", I whispered a little freaked out.

"Okay", Dominique took a breath and knocked on the door. "I'll be back as soon as I can", she said when a woman peaked through and let Dom in.

I watched her go in with a nauseating feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wasn't so sure about this anymore. I wish I hadn't agreed to come...then again, Dom needed me. Why was I so unsure whether I did the right thing?

So I waited there patiently with my wand held out. I was on alert just in case someone tried to grab me drug me or something. After a few minutes, I put my wand in my coat when I saw this hallway was indeed quiet and no one was coming here. So I took a seat on a little stool in the corner near the window and decided to think of ideas for Ben and Louis's present. I could get Ben a cologne or clothes...but that's just so boring. He already has a really nice watch so I can scratch that off too. What about Jewellery? No! That's pathetic. No clothes or anything. It needs to be something unique...but what...

Suddenly I stopped. I heard a voice. I pulled my wand back out just in case. It was coming from a few doors down from this one...Dominique said to stay put but I need to check this out just to make sure it's safe for me to stay here because if it isn't then I'm out of here! I tiptoed down the hall and the voice got louder as I came closer. It was a girl laughing loudly...and there was a male voice too, it was low pitched and quiet. The closer I got, my heart began pumping faster. I felt like I was hearing a familiar voice. Could it be that someone I know comes here to get screwed? No...I only keep ties with nice people! Just then, the male voice said something louder and...

My heart dropped.

I almost had a stroke right there. I was shaking beyond control because the male voice seemed all _too_ familiar. My breathing became quicker as my mind exploded from all the thoughts coming at once. Could it be him? It is? But what? I don't understand why...

The door was slightly creaked open. My breathing was like gusts of wind in a blizzard and my heartbeat like loud drums. I slowly crept forward and peaked through.

"Oh come on, she can't love you more than I do?" Said a woman lying in a queen-sized bed with her head and shoulders lifted up and her hands holding her sheets up to her chest covering her apparently naked body. She looked to be in her early to mid twenties and had a slim figure, dark brown hair and fair skin.

I almost threw up at what I heard next.

"You don't know my Rose".

It was Scorpius. And he was lying on his back gazing at the ceiling without his clothes and only sheets covering him below the waist.

I gulped. I-I couldn't b-believe what I was seeing...What was Scorpius doing here? He promised he had left his world of drugs, and gambling and all this stuff behind him. So who's this woman? I was shaking like mad so I took a step back before I collide with the door and they see me. I was suddenly very cold and just wished the earth would split in two and I could bury myself. I don't want to live in this world anymore. I just...I feel...I don't know...I don't know what to feel.

"You know I would do anything for you..." She said.

I came closer to the door again and peaked through to hear their conversation.

Scorpius didn't say anything. I heard him sigh and I saw him reach under his pillow and pull out something silver and shiny.

"Why are you so crazy about her?"

"Go back to your husband".

She sighed. "Are you going back to school soon?"

"Friday".

"Back to Rose?"

"Not your concern".

"But seriously though, I saw her that night, she's pretty".

Are they still talking about me? When did she see me? I can't even find words to describe how disturbing this is...

"She's beautiful", he whispered. "Every part of her".

I shuddered. I never knew Scorpius thought that...

"Have you slept with her?" My eyes widened. They can't possibly be talking about _me_? I'd never...What?!

Scorpius sat up. "You're fucking retarded", he said to her angrily.

"Okay Okay... calm down", she said putting an arm around him.

"Don't touch me!" He said pushing her arm away.

"Ouch! Rude!"

Scorpius turned his head away and held the silver thing...a bracelet, in front of him and gazed at it.

"You haven't given it to her yet?" The girl asked taking it from his hand before he yanked it back.

"Haven't seen her since", he whispered harshly.

"Why don't you just give her her own bracelet back? It would make so much more sense Scorpius", she rolled her eyes.

"I keep hers with me. It reminds me of her".

"You're becoming emotional".

Scorpius didn't respond.

"But come on, babe, you know without me, she'd still hate you?"

"She never _hated_ me!" Scorpius growled.

"Who was the one that helped you with the apology letter? Me".

"I could have done it myself..."

"Liar. You're terrible with words", she whispered in his ear. "But you actions..._uuuuh_. I miss those..." I almost threw up when she invited herself on top of him.

"Stop..." Scorpius said pushing her away. "It's over".

"How about that day? I helped you get into her dorm...what did you do in there anyway?"

"None of your business".

"Are you mad at me?"

"No".

I pulled away from the door and covered my ears with my hands. I had heard so much but I just couldn't process any of it...I didn't want to think. The bracelet, my dorm, his letter...was that all even Scorpius? Did she write that letter for him? Why did I suddenly feel like I don't know the boy who's in that room with that prostitute or whatever she is? I don't know him anymore...wait I didn't know him ever. He's a whole different person around her. He's rude and obnoxious and for some sickening reason, she bows down to him like a slave. Why? For sex? It can't be worth more than your own dignity for merlin's sake! I just wanted to cry. I don't know if I still even care for Scorpius but why is it that he's thinking about me while he's sleeping with this woman! That's sick! Or is he thinking about me all the time? I don't even know. I don't even know which is better!

I don't care about it anymore. I can't listen to this anymore. I'm going to knock on that door and tell Dominique I'm going back to the castle. I turn around and suddenly bump into something large and fall backwards and look up to see a fat, bald man with a bottle of something amber in his hand smiling greedily down at me.

"Why hello there! Aren't you a pretty little thing", he grabs my arm and pulls me up. "Let's go get us some privacy, doll..."

Only then did I realize what he wanted and the first thing that came to my mind was to scream as loud as I could.

The man let go immediately and most of the noise of music and people died down.

"What the fuck was that?" I heard someone yell from the lounge.

"Fuck! Turn off the lights and music! It could be aurors!"

"Hey! Hey let her go!" I turned around to see Scorpius, in only his jeans, standing behind me glaring angrily at this man.

"What do you want Malfoy?"

"Let her go!"

"I saw her first!"

Scorpius came closer and yelled in the man's face, "YOU DON'T WANNA FUCKING CROSS MY PATH!"

"Shut up, M-Malfoy", The man gripped my arm tighter and pulled at me. I screamed again. Then all of a sudden, Scorpius lunged at this guy and he fell backwards taking me down along with him as well. I screamed and Scorpius punched him in the head, leaving him unconscious. I released my arm out of his grip immediately. I turned around and frighteningly looked at a glaring Scorpius. I brush of my pants and coat and Scorpius helps me up.

"Scorp-"

Before I could say anything, he took hold of my arm and pulled me along.

"Scorpius, stop it! Ouch let go!" I felt humiliated as he dragged me across the lounge to the stairs while I tried to struggle my arm out of his grip.

"Scorpius, stop please!"

I felt like a child being dragged out for misbehaving. I had never felt so embarrassed before as he led me down the stairs, across the Hogs Head Pub and outside. Once we were outside, he backed me up against the wall

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE?"

"I was-"

"How did you find this place? Who told you about this?" He grabbed me by the shoulder and came closer.

"It's my fir-" I said frightened.

"FUCK, ROSE! How many times have you been here before?!" He shook me.

"Never!" I said frightened. "It's my first time...please be gentle", I whimpered. My back wasn't completely healed and I had left my brace back at school.

Scorpius ignored my plea. He took a deep breath before bringing his face dangerously close. "I. Never. Want. To. See. You. Here. Again. Period. Is that understood?"

I nodded. " Let go of me please", I said with a small voice, almost begging. I thought he'd yell again but he just let go. We were both quiet and Scorpius turned his head away. "What are _you_ doing here anyway?" I finally found the courage to ask.

"I...I came to see an old friend", he said quietly.

I just stared at him, dumbfounded.

"I know what you were doing here!" I yelled before he even dare lie to my face. "I saw you! You were with that prostitute!"

"She's not a pros-"

"Does it look like I care?" Now it's my turn to yell. "You disgust me! You're a filthy person!"

"It's not what you think", he grunted.

"You hypocrite! You humiliate me and order me to never come back and you're here romping around with a woman who'll probably give you a sexually transmitted disease!"

"Is that what your parents taught you, you close minded idiot?"

"Don't you dare call me an-"

"She's not a prostitute! She's a married woman, a waitress at a restaurant".

"You are the most mentally deranged person I've ever met! None of you was real! None of it from the start!" I pushed him away from me and tried to walk away but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

"Let go of me, you lying scum!"

"I didn't lie!" He said through gritted teeth.

"You lied to me from the beginning. You said you were done with your so-called underworld!" I was in tears now and could not yell. "You promised me. And you broke that promise".

"I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T LIE!" He said shaking my shoulder.

"Don't manhandle me!" I yelled at him. "You almost paralyzed me you piece of filth! You injured my spine when you pushed me into that dresser!"

Scorpius stopped; he looked dumbstruck. I had never seen such a look in his eye. I looked at his hands and they were shaking like mad! What was going on.

"P-paralyze?" He whispered.

I turned my head away and neither of us said anything until he took hold of my hand gently.

"Rose please..." He whispered. I have never seen Scorpius like this ever in my life. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for what I did that day...I got mad tonight because you're the only thing that keeps me away from this place and...the last thing I need is you here. ".

"You're a liar..." I said. "You've been with her all this time!"

"Things are not always as they seem"

"You and I belong in different worlds...it's clear now".

"I don't care. I want to be in your world. I want to be in your life and I want to be by your side, always by your side".

"Scorpius, what are you talking about?"

"You're the purest and realest thing that ever crossed my path..."

"But you've lost me now", I said shaking.

"Listen to me", He demanded.

"I don't want to hear it".

He ignored me and went on. "Remember that day when you came into my dorm. You brought me a sandwich because I slept through lunch".

"Yes! How can I forget what you did to me..." I said angrily.

"I was angry and I just took it down on you..."

"I assumed that much", I said bitterly. "I asked you about it and you didn't want to tell me".

"Rose, you know I hate talking and sharing and all that crap".

"So?" Where's he going with this?

"Well I want to tell you everything", he sighed.

"Okay, I'm listening".

"No, not here. Let me take you back to school first", he said.

"What? No! I can go alone!" I said harshly.

"I don't care. I don't trust anyone when it comes to you".

"I don't need you, Scorpius", I insisted.

"But Ineed _you_".


	35. The Best for the Best of Us

**A/N: So sorry about the long wait everyone. I just can't bring myself to write in the winter months but as soon as spring comes around, I get in the mood. LOL it's weird and I know youre thinking I'm making excuses but thats honestly the real reason. Any ways, enjoy and please leave a review, it motivates me to continue writing! Thanks everyone!**

"Wait!" I said.

Scorpius looked at me questioningly.

"Dominique's still in there. We have to get her! Oh my gosh! How could I forget!" I panicked. "She's probably scared wondering where I went!"

"Rose", Scorpius said looking straight into my eyes. He put his hands on my shoulders and leaned in. "It's alright, I'll go get her but you stay right here".

"By myself? No I'm com-"

"No! I You have your wand right? Stay here..."

I nodded and with that Scorpius left only to return a couple minutes later with an upset Dominique.

"You were right, Rose", she said angrily. "He just denied everything that little motherfucker! I'm gonna _kill_ him! Pretending like nothing happened. He said he was _'sleeping that night'_. He's playing dumb. Making me look fucking _mental_ here. That bastard! I'm gonna make sure his sorry ass lands in _Azkaban_!".

"What are you going to do now?" I whispered as we walked back to Honeydukes.

"Ugh talk to Ryla and if she doesn't agree to help me then...my dad".

"Just talk to your dad! Don't wait for Ryla".

Dominique didn't reply and gave me a questioning look when she lightly jerked her head towards Scorpius. I shrugged.

"I was right", she said.

"About?"

"I told you you'd find Malfoy here".

Scorpius and I both looked at her, then each other and looked away immediately. But that feeling in pit of my stomach lasted. I had gotten past the stage of anger and I was just disappointed and hurt now. I was grateful he saved me from that oaf back there but he owed me that much. I was quiet through most of the walk back home because I was confused as to what to think. I wanted to know everything that was going on with Scorpius but a voice in my head was telling me not to care and move on. It was like a battle in my brain. I don't even know how I feel about him now. I don't even know if I still want him around.

...

"Let's go to my common room?" Scorpius suggested when we were back in the Gryffindor common room and Dom had gone to her dorm

"No." I said quietly but then spoke up. "No. I'm not about to trust you again after what you did".

"I swear, Rose, I wasn't thinking straight then", he muttered looking down at the floor.

"What was that saying? something like 'fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me'" I said looking away.

"Rose", Scorpius sighed. "I won't do anything to hurt you, I promise. I just want some privacy..."

"If you want to talk to me, then it's going to have to be right here in my common room", I said firmly.

"You haven't forgiven me yet, have you?" He said quietly as he gestured me to sit on the couch and did the same.

"How can I, Scorpius? After everything you and I have been through, I expected so much better from you. I care about you and I thought you cared about me too. I thought I meant more to you", I said to him looking straight into his eyes but he dropped his gaze.

"I do, Rose! I do care", he growled. "You won't get it. Shit from my past-before I met you-It still finds its way back to me!"

"Only because you let it", I insist. "That girl back there; she didn't hold a gun to your head and make you spend the night with her!"

"Anna".

"I didn't _ask_ her name!" I snapped. We were both quiet for a bit until I spoke up, "I thought you wanted to come clean?"

"Rose, it's not that simple..." Scorpius sighed. "What you saw tonight, it's not what you think. I..." Scorpius stopped mid sentence

"What?" I asked nervously. What could he possibly be hiding? What could be so bad that he can't say it?

"Rose, I don't even know how to tell you...I mean I want to tell you but I don't want to lose you forever..."

"Then don't tell me, it won't matter because you've pretty much ruined everything", I said standing up. Truth is though; I was only pretending to sound like I didn't care because deep down, I truly do care but do not know if I want to know Scorpius's truth. I don't know how bad it is and I don't know if I'd be ready for it. I was just plain scared.

"Don't go", he took hold of my hand.

"Why not?" I sighed.

"Because you deserve to know", he pulled me back down to sit.

"But if it's so bad, then-"

"It'll be your choice if you want to see me ever again after this. If not then...well...I'll keep to myself", he said sighing.

"This is bizarre! Just tell me!" I cried out. "First you want to tell me, then you don't...Make up your mind, you're being so dramatic! What could possibly be so bad that even Scorpius Ma-"

"I got her pregnant!"

"Huh?" I said with a small, breaking voice. Preg-what? _'I got her pregnant?'_ What does that mean? Scorpius's words took a while to sink in and only when I realized what it all meant, I looked away from him and into the flames in the fireplace, not tearing my gaze for even a moment.

"That's the truth, now you tell me, do you still want to sit and listen to what I have to say?"

I did not respond. I didn't exactly even hear his entire sentence. I was staring at the flames. The different colours. They were blue. And white. And yellow. I remember reading somewhere a long time ago, the hotter the fire, the bluer the flame. I thought it was a joke first. Everyone knows blue is a cool colour and red is a warm colour. Shouldn't red flames be hotter then? I asked my mum about it and she said it was much more complicated than that. Something to do with particles...it seemed simple at the time. Blue goes with cool, red goes with warm. But then I learned that there's always an exception to every rule. I'm not closed-minded or anything like that, I do realize things are more complicated than they seem. I just wish though sometimes...that there could be a warning. Or a terms and conditions of use where you could read everything, full disclosure, and then decide if you want to continue with it. I mean two months ago, if someone had given me a terms of use document, fully disclosing everything there is to Scorpius Malfoy, I would have thought twice about signing the SCSY papers.

If it was anyone else, my first instinct would be that it's all a joke. But Scorpius doesn't joke. He barely smiles. Nobody here is smiling and I have to be straightforward about it; Scorpius had been sleeping with some hooker and now he has a...baby? I hate this straightforward idea; I felt like I had been punched in the gut and I wanted to cry. How could Scorpius have gotten someone pregnant? I mean I know _how_ but...but still, Scorpius? Only a few weeks ago I recalled being back home in the backyard with Bonnie decorating my patio. She had joked about Scorpius being gay or getting someone pregnant. I had laughed at the thought because of how unlikely it would be but had been sure if either of these possibilities ever stood a chance, it would be the first one. I had been so stupid. I told Bonnie he barely notices women when here he is telling me about some girl he used to use for sex. I wanted to cry because even after all this time, after going through so much together, I still did not know who Scorpius Malfoy truly is.

"Rose..." he said gently, knocking me out of my trance.

"Where's the baby?" I don't know why but that was the first question in my head.

"Ba-what? There's no baby..." he said slightly taken aback. "Rose...I-"

"How far a long is she then?"

"Rose she's not..."

"What?"

"Rose, she's not pregnant...not anymore. We didn't go through with it".

"Huh?" I asked confused. Scorpius gave me a look and only then did I understand exactly what he meant.

"You killed it?"

"I didn't ki-"

"Yes you did!" I said panicking. I burst into tears. "How could you, Scorpius?!" I cried.

"Rose, please it was just a fe-"

"It was a living person! How could you be so selfish?! You don't think of anyone but yourself!"

"Rose, listen t-"

"No!" I cried. "You don't care about anyone but yourself. After everything I did for you, you didn't even think of me!"

"What's this got to do with it?!" He yelled.

I think I was more upset that Scorpius had been sleeping with another girl more than the fact that he aborted the pregnancy.

Scorpius gave me a moment to wipe my tears and gather myself before he sighed again. "Rose, I keep trying to tell you it was my past".

"Scorpius, I let you into my life and you betrayed me. You could've told me atleast, how hard would it be to slip in somewhere in our conversations that you have a girlfriend or some-"

"she's NOT my girlfriend", he snorted.

"Do you have any respect for anyone?" I asked and he grunted annoyed.

"I'm sorry", he whispered. "I stopped seeing her since my car accident back in July...since you became part of my life. After I was discharged, I told her I'm done".

"How do you even know her?"

"I met her at the Leaky Cauldron last Christmas break. She used to bartend there during night shifts. I was staying at the Inn with my grandmother for a few days to be closer to the ministry because we had meetings with an auror".

"Meeting for what?" I asked curiously.

Scorpius looked away and gazed at the flames in the fireplace. He ignored my question though.

"I met her when I went down for drinks one night. I've only seen her like three times since", he insisted.

"Rose, I was afraid of losing you. Which is why I kept this from you... You're a good person. You're compassionate, you're strong. You're stronger than me, I'm the weak one. I thought if you'd knew, you'd never want to associate yourself with me. You have better people in your life."

"I asked you though. I asked you what was wrong when you came into my room that night. You could have told me. Why did you have to push me anyway?.

"I'm so sorry..." he whispered taking hold of my hands. "That day, when you came in my dorm with the sandwich, I panicked because you were looking in my drawers and that was where my paternity test reports were and I was afraid you saw", Scorpius said hanging his head.

It made sense, I remembered seeing a bunch of folded papers. "And you left school because you had to get rid of it didn't you?" I said putting the pieces together. Scorpius nodded.

"Rose, you have to understand it was for the best. It would have had no proper home. My grandmother thought-"

"Your grandmother?! You told her?!"

I always knew that goddamn woman was crazy. Who knows how much she manipulates and brainwashes Scorpius. She's the one who obliviates muggle minds when Scorpius does something criminal. If she had punished Scorpius from the beginning for his mistakes and disciplined him, this wouldn't have happened.

"Scorpius, weren't you afraid of what she'd think? weren't you scared she'd be mad?"

"No".

"No?" I looked at him in disbelief.

Scorpius sighed. "Rosie, my grandmother isn't the type to dwell over a problem, she likes to find solutions. Fast".

And abortion was a solution to Narcissa. I was absolutely sure this was her idea. Scorpius couldn't come up with that on his own. He's the type to run away. I would think the Scorpius I know would leave that girl and break all contact with her so he could escape what he did. Or maybe I don't know him. I don't seem to know much these days any way. What I do know is that the sun should be out soon and I have Defense at nine in the morning giving me around three to four hours to sleep before I have to wake up again. I got up and decided to just head to my dorm.

"Rose", Scorpius said. "Where are you going?"

"My dorm".

"Are you mad?"

"Good night, Scorpius".

"Rose, wa-"

"What?"

"You have to know; I did what I had to...for us. You and me; our future".

"Us?" It took a lot for me to make my way up the stairs without vomiting.

**A/N: NOW DIGEST THAT Y'ALL!**


	36. Chills Me To The Bone

"Rose! Rose, wake up! You'll be late for class. ROSE!" I felt my comforter get yanked off me.

"Leave me alone..." I muttered as I turned my head the other way and tried to pull it back.

"Do you know what time it is? It's 8:47! We thought you died while getting dressed or something so I came back to check on you and here you are, still sleeping", I heard Bonnie scold me while she kept shaking me.

"I'm skipping first period", I muttered.

"Why?"

"I'm too tired, I slept at like five..." I say facing her and trying to open my eyes a little.

"What the hell...why?"

"Couldn't sleep".

"Okay, I'll save you a seat in transfiguration", she said giving me back my comforter.

"Thanks", I mumble before putting it over my head to block the sunlight. I hear the dorm door open.

"By the way, Rose, Malfoy's back and he was asking about you at breakfast", and the door shuts.

Scorpius is back? Will he be attending class with us again? I gulp as I remember what he said to me before I went to bed. He aborted Anna's pregnancy for me? for "us"? I don't want to jump to conclusions but I'm slightly worried about what he means. Sometimes I feel like he's already found my place in his life and future and I don't even know about it...Merlin, I can't even sleep anymore! After ten minutes of lying in bed and replaying the entire last night in my head, I finally get up and stagger to the bathroom. Maybe I'll be able to make it to the second half of Defense Against the Dark Arts after all. I take a quick shower and throw on some sweats. It's actually a pastel pink, velour tracksuit Bonnie got for me from California last Christmas. I put my school robes over and charm my hair dry to their natural wavy form. I was just about ready to leave, I turned around and took a look at my back brace next to my bed side table. I smiled slightly in relief that I'm making progress and don't constantly need to have it on. I was just about to leave when my gaze fell upon my table and I saw a box there. That isn't mine...it's a cream coloured velvet box, like a jewellery one. I open the box and I'm surprised to a see a gold coloured delicate bracelet with two charms at the clasp, a golden carved flower shape one and cut green gem. I don't know who it belongs to or who left it here but it's so pretty that deep in my heart, I kind of wish it were mine. I don't even know if it's real but it looks very precious. I shut the box because I'm scared I'll damage it by breathing on it. I put in a pocket in my bag and decide I'll ask Bonnie about it later.

There's only half an hour of class when I arrive and everyone looks at me curiously. Apparently I have a reputation of being a model student...my foot. Bonnie and Louis greet me as I walk past them and Damien, Al, Amanda and Donny also wave to me while I walk to the professors desk at the front of the class. I noticed the seating arrangement wasn't really being followed today which meant she's in a good mood. Professor Bell asks me if I have a note, and I don't which means my absence is unauthorized and I need to see professor Longbottom, Gryffindor head of house , later today. Stupid process if you ask me.

"Please try to arrive on time, you missed the entire lecture. We're having a work period till to end of class so one of your friends should be able to help you catch up".

"Alright...thanks, professor", I say and I turn around to find an empty seat. To my horror, the only empty seat is near the window in a corner next to none other than Scorpius. I try to walk as slow as I can. Hopefully, class will be over by the time I arrive...then I realised how stupid I must look so I just sighed and took a seat. Scorpius didn't look up from his work and I didn't exactly know how I should get his attention and ask if I may borrow his notes to copy. Hell I don't know if he even takes notes! Goddamn it...Ugh, I'll just ask Amanda at lunch, she always has neat, organized notes.

I felt kind of odd sitting next to him because I don't even know if he noticed I'm here. so I just reach into my bag, pull my notebook and pen out and pretend like I'm being productive. I shift around in my chair and try to hang my bag onto the back of it. I suddenly drop my open bag and mutter a curse in annoyance when some of my stuff falls out, including the box. I bend over to pick every thing up and see another hand pick up the box.

"So Matthews delivered my package", Scorpius looks at me and says in a soft voice. I just sit there and stare. Not at him, at the box. I watch him open and feel the bracelet between his fingers. He takes my hand and gently clasps it around me.

"Scorpius, why di-"

"It's a gift".

I nod because I'm not really sure what else to do. I mean, am I still supposed to be angry at him? Am I letting him think I've forgiven him? Scorpius didn't apologize or anything but went back to his work. He pulled out his notebook and passed it towards me.

"Today's lecture", he said with a quiet voice so I spent the rest of the class trying to copy his notes which was harder because of his terrible penmanship. It wasn't bad but it was cursive, beautiful but hard to read. I was suddenly reminded of the card that Scorpius wrote to me to apologize after the first time we met this summer. I smiled to myself but only for a moment because I remembered Anna helped him with it. Disgusting...

I felt Scorpius's arm brush against mine as we silently worked and I shivered a little. Around quarter past ten was when Scorpius finished and put his things back in his black leather satchel. I was still copying and I tried to hurry because I thought he might need his notebook back. Scorpius, however, just sat there and watched me. I tried to ignore it but it was really awkward.

"What do you want?" I said curtly.

"Nothing", he replied.

"Why are you looking at me like that then?"

Scorpius sighed, "I don't know if I'll be this close to you again".

"Scorpius, please..." I sighed because I was so tired of this emotional blackmail he always does to me.

"I'm not lying, Rose", he says before taking hold of my hand under the table. I put my pen down and the two of us just sit there staring into space. I don't know about him but I really don't know what to think of all this.

...

In Transfiguration, Teddy asked me to sit with Casey to help him again so I was saved from sitting next to Scorpius since it was just so awkward.

"Hey, Weasley", Warrington said, "Can you help me with yesterday's homework?"

"What do you need help with?" I ask as I take my books out.

"Can you do it for me?"

"What?"

"Please...he's going to check before starting lecture", Warrington said nervously.

"Why didn't you do it yesterday, then?" I sighed in disbelief and annoyance.

"I didn't know how..."

"Why didn't you just ask me last night?"

Casey shrugged and I grunted as I handed him my sheet to copy before class starts. "Thanks, Rose", he said. "Eric should seriously go for you, you're awesome".

"Stop trying to flatter me; this is the first and last time I'll ever let you copy my homework", I said flat out. I looked around the class and saw that Scorpius was at the professor's desk talking to him.

"Okay, everyone, settle down", Professor Lupin said. "One of our class members was on a personal leave and has just returned for his first day of school. I trust you'll all help him settle in and catch up on the previous lessons". I saw Scorpius look around the class as Teddy introduced him.

Teddy took a look around the class, "Why don't you take a seat next to Mr. Zabini today, He's one of my finest students and I'm sure he'll help you out with what you've missed. Mr. Potter would you mind taking a seat next to Miss Harper?"

I saw Albus quietly pack his things and move to the seat next to Dana Harper. I also saw Damien welcome Scorpius with a smile.

"Look Weasley, your friend is back", Warrington nudged me.

"What?"

"Malfoy", he jerked his head towards Scorpius's direction.

"What about him?" I said annoyed.

"He's your friend isn't he? Why you not sitting with him?"

"Because unfortunately I'm forced to sit with the likes of you".

Warrington looked at me, kind of surprised that I insulted him...that is, if he even understood what I said. On the good side, he didn't say much to me for the rest of class. He'll probably go tell Eric how I'm a bitch though but I don't really care. The lecture passed by pretty slow only because the material was so boring but thankfully it was a short one and we had the second half of class to do our work.

"Did you get your package, Rose?" Bonnie turned around in her seat. "I see you're already wearing it!" She smiled at me.

"Yeah...it's really nice of him".

"Why did he get you a bracelet?" She said giving me a look which made me blush.

"It's nothing like that...just an early Christmas present...I mean I'll get him something too...when it's Christmas", I said.

"He's really sweet..."

"Who's really sweet?" Louis turned around as well. I noticed he looked a little different...like he hasn't shaved for a few days and his hair looked slightly shaggier.

"Scorpius", Bonnie said and gazed in Scorpius's direction.

"Sweeter than me?" Louis asked raising a brow.

"Not everything is about you", she said without smiling. And they both turned back and talked in hushed tones. I saw Louis's hand rub her thigh but she kept moving it away and he would keep doing it until he suddenly just got up and left to go to the bathroom. I wanted to ask her what's up with him but she didn't turn around so I thought it best not to say anything.

...

"Don't you look awfully tired today Rose", Ben said when him, James, Eric and Fred plopped down at the long table for lunch.

"Couldn't really sleep last night", I sighed as I moved my plate and rested my head on the table.

"You're lucky you have spare after this", James sighed as he began to fill his plate with pasta salad and sandwiches. "We just had double Potions. Theory first period and lab second, just before lunch".

"Better not waste time this weekend then", I said before yawning.

"Atleast it's not every day, just Wednesdays and Thursdays", Ben said.

"I might just skip last period to work on the report", Eric said before taking a bite of his pastrami and swiss sandwich.

"What do you have after lunch?" Bonnie, who was sitting next to me, asked.

"Defense theory", he replied. "Then Charms. And then we have an evening class of Defense practical, seven-thirty to nine every Tuesday and Thursday".

"Evening class?" Bonnie said surprised. The four nodded. I was beginning to worry; I knew 7th year was the most difficult NEWT year but I didn't know it was so intense. I'm worried for myself next year. I know I'm smart but recently, I've learned about myself that I can't handle pressure; I crack. Whether it's school or friends or personal stuff, I break down.

"I'm worried about next year..." I say.

"Me too..." Bonnie agrees.

"I'm not. It's just school..." said Louis who we all turned to look at. I was quite surprised to see a pile of sandwich bread on his plate.

"Louis what are you doing?" I asked confused. He seemed to be picking out all the meat from the sandwiches and eating them and leaving the bread and the lettuce on his plate.

"Dude, what the hell..." James said. "Eat like you're almost seventeen, not seven".

I saw Louis glare at James. "Shut the fuck up!" We saw Louis push his plate away and storm out of the great hall.

"What is wrong with him?" Amanda asked.

"Is he doing drugs?" Eric asked.

"No!" Bonnie replied. "I don't know..." she sighed as we all watched him leave.

I looked towards Dominique sitting some seats down the table with Sonia and I saw that she too had seen her brother storm out. Surprisingly though, she followed after him. I wasn't the only one who noticed this.

"Well this is a first", Fred commented.

"It's a good change though", Ben said. "It's nice of her".

We all nodded.

"Rose, do you think I should have gone after him?" Bonnie asked me quietly when everyone finished up with their food and got up to head to the next class.

"I think he needs to be alone", I said thinking. "Talk to him later though".

Bonnie nodded and we all went our own ways.

I headed to the washrooms first and then up to the Gryffindor common room. The halls were really deserted except for a few sixth and seventh years who had spare periods right now; much like Donny, Louis and me as well as Damien and Al. Donny, Al and Damien went to the library to study, I was going to nap and Louis was nowhere to be found. I think he's in the common room though. If he is, I will have to have a talk with him. When I reach the Gryffindor tower and make my way to the portrait of the fat lady, I'm surprised to see Scorpius standing there looking down at his watch.

"Scorpius", I say. "What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you?"

"Don't you have class?" I ask curiously.

"I opted for the same spare as you".

"How did you know I have spare now?"

"Matthews". Damn Bonnie!

"Well, what can I help you with?"

Scorpius raised a brow at me, "have we become so estranged that you'd think I'll only want to see you when I need something?"

I didn't respond.

"That bracelet looks beautiful on you", he said looking at my wrist.

"Do you want it back? Because I can give it ba-"

"Rose please..." he insisted. "When are you going to stop being angry with me?"

"Not anytime soon", I mutter and go in my common room. Scorpius follows me in.

"Rose...You have to understand, I didn't mean to hurt you".

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to look at you the same way again", I say flat out.

"Rose that was my past. I keep telling, it's not who I am anymore. I'm still the same Scorpius. I'm still your Scorpius", he said softly touching my arm.

"You don't get it, Scorpius!" I said frustrated. "I'm mad because you lied to me and I'm mad because you mistreated me! I get it, it was your past, I'm upset but I'll get over it. What I won't get over is the way you treat me. You may still be the same Scorpius but I'm not the same Rose anymore".

"Alright..." he whispered before pulling me in to hug. I was sort of annoyed because he's not taking me seriously and he thinks a bit of affection is going to make me change my mind. It's not. And I'm damn serious! "I'll do whatever you want, Rose?" he sighed into my head. "Tell me what I have to do...to redeem myself".

"You can start by staying out of my way for now", I say.

"Except for that..." he grunted.

"You said you'd do whatever I want. I want you to stay away", I say sadly, still in his embrace.

"That's not possible anymore, Rosie".

"What?"

"I've come so far that I can't imagine my life without you anymore", he said silently before planting a gentle kiss on my shoulder.

Scorpius left immediately after but it was getting harder and harder to not forgive him. I don't even know if I'll ever have another person in my life that'll tell me they can't live without me.

...

I took my nap as I had planned and it was a very peaceful one so I was very much refreshed for Arithmancy which passed by very fast since I was paying attention. Dinner wasn't very eventful. James and his friends kept complaining about having class later and how their life is so much harder than ours. News of Scorpius's return was also a topic of discussion among our table.

"Why did he even go?" James asked. "Three weeks almost..."

"I don't know. Family stuff", I shrugged.

"For that long, though?"

"I guess so".

"I wonder what happened?" Eric said.

"Why don't you go ask him?" I replied.

"It's good he's back. He's a cool kid" James said and we all turned to look at the Slytherin table where Scorpius was eating with Casey and Tyler.

"Where's Louis?" Fred asked.

"No one's seen him since lunch", Donny said. "He's with Dominique I think. She's not at dinner either".

"What is going on with him?" Everyone asked.

"I'm worried..." Bonnie said nervously.

"I saw him", Amanda said. "I went to go see professor Lupin and he was in his office".

Around seven, Ben left to go to the library to check out a book, related to his lab, that he had placed on hold. Once he left, James turned to us.

"What's going to happen with the birthday party now? We still haven't decided anything".

"We can talk about it tonight after your class", I suggested.

"Ben will be with us though", Eric pointed out.

"I'll distract him. I'll take him out on a walk or something", I offered and James nodded.

"What about Louis?" Bonnie interrupted.

"What about him?" James asked.

"Well, something's wrong with him...we have to make sure he's okay before we plan a party in his honour", Bonnie reminded us.

We all nodded in silent agreement. After dinner, James and his friends headed to their evening class, Donny and Amanda went to the library and Bonnie and I decided to finish up the last of our homework in the common room. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived to see Louis slouched on the couch staring into the fire and Dom talking to him.

"Louis, where did you go we were so worried", I asked him. Neither him nor Dominique, who obviously knows what's going on, responded.

"He's...he's had a rough day", Dominique finally said. Judging by Louis's red eyes, it definitely looked like he had a rough day. Dominique got up and headed for the stairs and I followed her, this way, Bonnie got some privacy with him.

"Dominique wait!" I say and hurry after her. "Is Louis okay?" I ask as we climbed up the stairs.

"He'll be fine", she said. "He's just not feeling well".

"Not feeling well? Dominique tell me the truth...is he doing drugs?"

"Dr-What?! Of course not", She chuckled. "How did you come up with that one?"

"I don't know", I muttered as I turned pink. "What is it then?"

"Rose, Louis is just not going to be himself for a couple of days..." she sighed. "It's nothing to do with drugs...it's just the way he was born".

"I don't understand?"

"He'll tell you himself...when he's ready. When he wants to".

"Alright. But he'll be okay, right?"

"He'll be fine", she said.

"But why's he so upset and angry?" I pry some more.

"He's frustrated".

"Why?"

"Here's your dorm, Rose, good night", She smirked.

"But, Dom..."

"Rose, he'll tell you himself alright. Just don't expect him to be his same self. He won't be the same again...at least not all the time".

With that, Dominique left me at my dorm and headed up to hers. I was still curious but I decided I wouldn't tell anyone because they'd all freak out and make assumptions and he might feel isolated. I put my book bag and robes away before I went back to the common room. I was glad to see him and Bonnie a happily chatting away and sharing kisses.

"Hi guys. Done your homework?" I asked.

Louis nodded.

"I didn't", Bonnie said. "I have to finish up something for Care of Magical Creatures. It'll only take like fifteen minutes".

"Alright", he said. I opened up my book and Bonnie took hers out of her bag. Louis got up to leave but whispered something in her ear which made her ears turn pink, I noticed and we watched him head out the door.

I turned to Bonnie, "He's okay?"

"He's fine", she said smiling. "I'm so happy. Rose I don't know, we've been on and off for a while but now that we're dating, he's making it so hard for me to stay away".

"What's this about", I nudge her teasingly.

"He's making me fall in love with him and we've only been together for like a couple weeks", she said giddily.

"It is kind of early...maybe you're just infatuated. He's very handsome, no doubt", I said.

"No, it's more than infatuation!" She insisted. "He apologized for storming off at Lunch and said that I mean more to him than I could imagine. I'm quoting his exact words!"

"That's sweet..." I said. Reminded me of Scorpius a little.

"Yeah. He asked me to meet him in the room of requirement tonight", she said.

"Really?"

She nodded happily and we finished our homework while she happily hummed sweet tunes.

...

"Hey, Rosie! All by yourself?" Benjamin asked when him and the other three came in the common room around nine after their class ended.

"Yeah, Bonnie and Louis are out somewhere, Amanda and Donny are in Library and I'm just here finishing up my homework".

"I still have to finish mine. I'll probably be up until two", Ben sighed. Soon after, Donny and Amanda came in and we were all talking about Louis being normal again until James gave a look and jerked his head in Ben's direction. I nodded slightly to let him know I've got this.

"Hey, Ben", I say to him quietly.

"Yeah?"

"I want to talk to you?"

"What's up?"

"Alone. Do you think, maybe we could take a walk outside or something?"

"Yeah, of course", he said getting up immediately. He looked genuinely concerned which made me feel warm and happy.

"We'll be back guys", I say to the rest and they nod and we head out while they begin the birthday planning.

"What's the matter?" Ben asked when we got out.

"I want to talk about Scorpius". I don't know why but he was the first one to pop in my mind. "He and I had a sort of falling out before he left", I say.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I don't know", I sighed. "He can be really mean sometimes and very sweet other times. He's not always a good friend. I don't know what to do because he apologized now and got me a gift and he really wants me to forgive him". I showed Ben the bracelet I was wearing.

"Well, it all depends on what he did", Ben said thoughtfully.

"He has a terrible past. He got some girl pregnant", I tell him. "You have to promise you won't tell anyone. He doesn't have many friends and I don't want him to lose the ones he has now because people are judging him. I mean it was just his past. We all make mistakes".

Ben looks at me with his brow raised and then chuckles.

"What?" I ask.

"You just answered your own question, Rosie", He said putting an arm around me.

I blushed. "I did didn't I?" I laughed.

"So how's everything with you? Did you end up figuring out your career?"

Ben shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately I didn't but I'm not worried too much because my dad wants me to join his company?"

"What does your dad's company do exactly?" I asked.

"It's a brokerage. He invests in the stock market on behalf of his clients", Ben explained. "He worked at Gringotts before when he was still working among wizards".

I nodded. "If you think it'll be a good field for you then you should pursue it".

"I'm also being home schooled during the summers for muggle education. My dad says if I want to join his company, I might need to go to University".

"Oh wow! You must be really smart then?"

"I try hard...My mum was a muggle and she always wanted me and Mickey to go to university, before she died".

"I think it's very thoughtful of you", I say.

"Thanks".

"So is that where you'll go? Next year?"

"No!" Ben laughed. "I have to do two years at a muggle school. O levels and A levels".

I nodded again even though I wasn't completely sure of what they are. "I know you'll go far in whatever you choose".

"Thanks!"

"So whatever happened to your dad's girlfriend. The one who's daughter's had a crush on you", I jokingly asked.

"They got back together. Dad doesn't want her to move in though. He's taking it slow", Ben chuckled.

"Do her daughters still swoon over you?"

"I don't think so. I'm not around as much anymore". Ben cocked an eyebrow at me, "I assume you wouldn't be too happy if they still did?"

I look at him. "W-why would I care?"

"You know..." Ben teased. "You always become possessive when it comes to other girls".

"That's not true! Why would I become possessive?"

"_You_ should know that", He said. I was so confused. What's he implying? "Whatever, forget I said that. What's the deal with you and Eric?"

"The 'deal' with Eric and me is non-existent. It'll never work. It's like fate doesn't want us together", I said.

"Are you sad about that?" Ben asked.

"No" I shrug. "He's not my type. I don't know what I was thinking. I thought he'd be like you but he..." I trailed off realizing I just told Ben I wanted Eric because I thought he'd be just like Ben. Ben also noticed and we were both silent for a bit.

"Do you like anyone, Ben?"

"I don't know if she likes me the way I like her", he said putting his hands in his pocket.

"Is it Dominique?" I ask quietly.

"No", Ben shakes his head. "Dominique...It's like fate doesn't want us together...in your words".

I chuckle. "Does she have a boyfriend?"

"No", Ben says.

"Then what are you waiting for. Go tell her", I try to sound happy for him. I feel guilty that I'm not.

"I don't know if she likes me that way, though".

"You should ask her. No girl in her right mind could ever reject you".

"Are Scorpius and you still just friends?"

"I don't know", I say. "I don't even know what we are. I don't even know if how I feel about him..."

"Do you love him? like as a friend. Like how you love me or Bonnie or Amanda..."

"I want to but to be honest he make's it hard to love him". I say and Ben nods.

We stopped at the large windows and stood there to capture some fresh air coming in through the grill.

"Beautiful, full moon tonight", Ben pointed out.

"And the breeze is nice. Just slightly chilly".

"I love fall weather", Ben says and I nod in agreement.

The rest of the time, Ben and I just reminisced about this past summer and thought about what our future might be like until we noticed the halls getting quieter.

"We should go back. They'll be wondering where we went", Ben reminded me.

I nodded and we quietly walked back. I heard Ben sigh and put his arm around my shoulder. "Life is hard isn't it?" He chuckled.

"Indeed", I laughed. We walked through the third floor corridor and saw the younger students rushing to their common room as it was almost ten o'clock; curfew.

"Ben stop!" I say suddenly when something catches my eye.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

We were standing in front of the Trophy room and I moved towards the window to take a better look. "That trophy! Look at what it says!"

Ben takes a closer look, "It says, _For Outstanding Performance in NEWT Astronomy: Astoria Greengrass, Class of 1999-2000_".

"Astoria Greengrass!"

"Who is she?"

"She's Scorpius's mother! Remember in the train, he said he's half-blood. He always insists his Mum was a muggle...she's not if she went to Hogwarts and even got the Astronomy Award!"

"Maybe she was a Muggle-born witch..." Ben suggested, thinking.

"Maybe", I agree. "He really wants to find his mum. I should tell him about it tomorrow".

Ben nods and we head back to the Gryffindor Tower.

Everyone had already gone to bed when we arrived back in the common room and I assumed they figured out what to do for Ben and Louis's birthday. I made a mental note to ask Amanda about it. She's probably still awake and when I came in the dorm, I found her reading a novel in bed.

"Hey, how did it go?" I asked.

"Hi, it was okay, thankfully no more arguments", she chuckled.

"Did you guys decide on something?" I asked.

"Yeah, we're just going to have a group dinner in the room of requirement and a small party in our common room. Not all the seniors, just Ben and Louis's friends".

"Sounds like a good idea to me. You and I have to figure out what to get Louis".

"I haven't forgotten. We'll decide on something and have my mum owl it".

"That works. And if she can't, I'll have my mum owl it", I say. Amanda nods. "Is Bonnie not back yet?"

"No. It's only ten-thirty. She has an hour and a half till curfew".

I hoped Bonnie would get back soon though because I remembered Dom saying Louis is not himself...what if he hurts her out of anger like Scorpius did to...oh merlin I need to stop comparing Louis to Scorpius.

"How was the walk with Ben?" Amanda asked.

"It was okay, we were just talking" I shrug.

"You kept him out for almost an hour and a half. Impressive!" She teased. "I still stand by my theory about you two".

I sigh, "I don't agree. Especially considering that he deserves someone better than me".

"I DISAGREE!" Amanda almost shouted. "Don't doubt yourself in my presence again or I will have to hex you", and we laughed until the door suddenly opened.

"Bonnie! We figured out Louis and Ben's birth...Bonnie?! Oh my goodness! BONNIE!"

There was Bonnie limping in the door way, her hair a mess, coming out of her petty side braid. The button of her shirts seemed broken because she was holding her shirt to cover herself and her face was red and blotchy. And her eyes were the most frightened. They looked miserable, almost empty.

"Bonnie what happened?" I asked as we helped her to my bed which was closest to the door.

"Bonnie?" Amanda said. "What happened to you? Where's Louis"

Suddenly, Bonnie burst into tears with her head on my shoulders while Amanda got her a glass of water.

"Bonnie, you have to say something...I'm scared".

"H-he's not n-normal", she tried to say in between her sobs.

"Who isn't normal? What happened?" I urged.

"Bonnie, who did this to you?"

"Where's Louis?" I ask as a chill runs down my spine.

"H-he tried to...he tried to force himself..."

"He forced himself...on you?" Amanda asked.

"H-he tried to. I don't know what happened...one moment we were laughing...talking, kissing...and suddenly, his eyes...they were blood shot...and it was like he was possessed!"

"Possessed?" Amanda said. "I don't understand...our Louis? He would never try to r-rape you?"

"It wasn't him, I'm telling you!" Bonnie cried. I sat their silently while a let Bonnie cry in my arms. Suddenly, Bonnie removed her shirt to reveal a reddish brown gash on her shoulder near her bra strap. Amanda and I gasped.

"Hold on, I'm gonna go get Donny", Amanda said and hurried out.

"I'm so sorry, Bon", I whispered as I hugged her small crying frame.

"I don't know what to think, Rose", she sobbed.

A moment later, Donny arrived. "Bonnie, are you alright?" He asked her. "Bonnie, you said he wasn't himself? Can you remember anything about his smell? He didn't smell like alcohol or any other substance?"

"He wasn't under the influence..." she whispered.

"Do you know where he is now?" Donny asked.

"R-room of requirement", she stuttered.

"Amanda, you stay here and help her clean up. Rose, you go find Dominique, and I'm gonna go get Al. We have to go get him", Donny ordered.

"What's going on though?" I ask.

"I'll explain on the way", he said. I nodded and did as I was told. Dominique, however, wasn't in her dorm so I just caught up with Donny who was headed for the dungeons.

"Donny, what's going on?" I ask. Judging by his behaviour, I'm assuming he, Louis's best friend, could tell me why the hell Louis tried to rape his own girlfriend.

"Why did you ask me to get Dominique?"

"She's his sister. We need to get Al because we might need another hand and Louis trusts you and Al".

"Why though? Why do we need so many people? What's wrong with Louis?"

"Rose, you obviously know that his dad, you're uncle, was infected with lycanthropy before Louis was born...well, that trait was passed on to his son".

"What?" I say astonished. I always knew Uncle Bill had werewolf venom in him but I had never seen him act strange! I always thought this was all myths and legends.

"He's not a werewolf if that's what you're thinking", Donnie says.

"No I...I know", I said still unsure of what to even say. "How do you know all this?"

"He told me. In the summer. That's why he's recently taken to drinking. He's not dangerous, his emotions are just heightened. Hyperactive and he can't channel them or control them, which makes his mind spin. That's why he drinks a lot...alcohol is a depressant. It mellows him and controls his anger or sorrow or any other emotion".

"Is that why he's been acting strange. Like being picky with his food. Wanting meat constantly?" I said remembering lunch.

Donny nods. "It's only because of full moon".

"But why did he...why did he try to force himself on Bonnie?"

"His feelings for her are intense, which brings out animalistic instincts. This might make you uncomfortable but he can sense when she's...you know...ovulating. Fertile", he says and we both turn pink slightly. I do remember Bonnie mentioning being on her period two weeks ago.

"This sounds unreal", I sigh.

We quietly get Al and explain the whole situation to him and he seems to take it better than me. He doesn't have a hard time believing because he says his dad told him all about Teddy's dad who was a werewolf.

"That's why he was with Teddy!" I say slapping a hand to my forehead. "That means Teddy is a werewolf too?"

"Neither Louis, nor Teddy are werewolves", Al said. "That gene just temporarily comes out when he's of age; he's turning seventeen, it'll be over in a few months, I'm sure, he'll be back to normal. Teddy's normal isn't he?"

I nod. We arrive at the room of requirement and after a few tries, we manage to get the door. To our surprise though, Dominique is already there as well as Teddy, Headmistress McGonagall, Professor Longtbottom our head of house, Madame Cornfoot, a man in auror robes and Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur.

I see Louis curled up on the ground sobbing in Aunt Fleur arms. "Is he alright?" Donny asked Uncle Bill.

"He'll be alright", Uncle Bill sighed. "Thank you for being such a good friend to him Donovan".

"I presume, you all know what has happened here?" The headmistress looks at the three of us. We nod. "Very well. I will request that you keep this delicate information amongst yourselves".

"Of course, professor", Al says.

"You're friend Mr. Weasley here will be taken to the hospital wing before he is given authorization for a temporary leave".

"I don't want to leave!" Louis suddenly cried out.

"Baby, eez okay, mummy will be zere", Aunt Fleur tried to coax him. "We will 'elp you, mon amour".

"I don't wanna go back!" Louis yelled. "I wanna stay here!"

"Louis..." Uncle Bill said, "We can help you at home, champion, and you'll be back here in no time".

"Uncle Bill..." Teddy spoke up, "I can help him here. I'll help him learn to control his emotions and urges. He'll be back to normal in a couple weeks".

"Thank you, Ted, but it's just too risky. We have the matter of Bonnie as well..."

"Where's Bonnie?" Louis cried out.

"Louis she's in her dorm", Dom said soothing him.

"No I have to see her! I hurt her!"

"I saw her, Louis", I said. "She'll be okay..."

"I have to see her now! Can you get her, Rose?! What have I done, Mum", he turned to his mother. "I couldn't help it! I'm sorry...", he cried.

"Uncle Bill..." I say as I take arm. "I'm scared for him".

"He'll be okay, sweetheart. It's just temporary", Uncle Bill said as he pulled me close.

"Auror Burch, Professor Longbottom, please follow me to the Gryffindor tower. I must see Miss Matthews at once".Once they were gone I moved closer to Louis and put my hand on his arm.

"Rose, is Bonnie hurt?", he cried. "I didn't mean to...I'd never force..."

"I think, Albus, you should head back to the dungeons", Teddy said. Al nodded. "Rose, Donovan, you should also proceed to your common rooms now. Dominique, you can take your parents back to your brothers dorm to pack up his things".

Dominique nodded and we all headed out. But not before finding Victoire right outside the room.

"I flooed as soon as I heard", Victoire said. I saw she was clutching her quite enlarged belly. No wonder they had been in a hurry to marry. "Louis", she said hugging her brother. You'll be fine, darling. We're going to take you home".

"Ted, why didn't you tell me earlier?" She scolded her husband in a hushed tone.

"He's alright now, love".

When we arrived in the Gryffindor, common room, McGonagall was there with Neville and the auror and they were talking to Bonnie who was sitting on the couch with Amanda at her side. I assumed she was being notified of what happened to her boyfriend tonight.

"Bonnie!" Louis said surprised. "Bonnie I'm so sorry". He rushed over to her. She cringed a little. "It was an accident, I promise", he insisted. Bonnie was quiet but shaking the whole time, even as he kissed her hands and apologized. It was clear she was still frightened. After that Amanda and I took her to our dorm with Dominique close behind us.

"Dom, why is it just him? How come you and Victoire never went through it?"

"Veela genes are dominating in a female. Our Veela genes dominated so the werewolf ones were surpressed".


End file.
